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THE  MODERN  PARIAH 


A  STORY  OF  THE  SOUTH. 


BY 

TRANCIS  JpNTAINE 

AUTHOR    OK 

ETOWAM.  f\  ROMANCE  OP  THE  CONFEDERACY,  ETC.,  ETC. 


PUBLISHED    BY 

FRANCIS  FONTAINE, 
ATLANTA,  GA. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1892, 

BY  FRANCIS  FONTAINE, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


WERNER    PRINTING   *    LITHO.    CO. 
AKRON,   OHIO. 


PREFACE. 


Observe  the  following  statements,  made  by  the  slave 
holder  and  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
Thomas  Jefferson,  the  Father  of  the  Democratic  party  in 
the  United  States ;  and  of  the  great  emancipator,  Abra 
ham  Lincoln,  the  Father  of  the  Republican  party  in  the 
United  States: 

All  men  were  created,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and 
equal. — Thomas  Jefferson,  in  Declaration  of  Independence, 
1776. 

Nothing  is  more  certainly  written  in  the  Book  of  Fate,  than 
that  these  people  are  to  be  free,  nor  is  it  less  certain  that  the 
two  races,  equally  free,  can  not  live  contented  in  the  same  Gov 
ernment. — Thomas  Jefferson  in  1782. 

I  am  not,  nor  ever  have  been,  in  favor  of  bringing  about  in 
any  way  the  social  or  political  equality  of  the  white  and  black 
races.  I  am  not,  nor  ever  have  been,  in  favor  of  making  jurors 
of  negroes,  nor  of  qualifying  them  to  hold  office,  nor  to  inter 
marry  with  the  white  people.  And  I  will  say  in  addition  to 
this :  there  is  a  physical  difference  between  the  white  and  black 
races  which,  I  believe,  will  forever  forbid  the  two  races  living 
together  on  terms  of  social  and  political  equality. — Abraham 
Lincoln  (in  his  famous  joint  debate  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
before  he  became  President  of  the  United  States.) 

If  I  could  save  the  Union  by  freeing  every  slave,  I  would  do 
it;  if  I  could  save  the  Union  by  refusing  to  free  a  single  slave,  I 
would  do  that. — Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United 
States. 

Note  also  the  following  from  the  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States : 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  the  state  of  public  opinion  in  relation 
to  that  unfortunate  race  which  prevailed  in  the  civilized  and 
enlightened  portions  of  the  world  at  the  time  of  the  Declara 
tion  of  Independence,  and  when  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  was  formed  and  adopted.  But  the  public  history  of 
every  European  nation  displays  it  in  a  manner  too  plain  to  be 
mistaken.  They  had  for  more  than  a  century  before  been  re 
garded  as  beings  of  an  inferior  order,  and  altogether  unfit  to 
associate  with  the  white  race,  either  in  social  or  political  rela 
tions  ;  and  that  the  negro  might  justly  and  lawfully  be  reduced 
to  slavery  for  his  benefit.  He  was  bought  and  sold,  and 
treated  as  an  ordinary  article  of  merchandise  and  traffic  when- 

(3) 


4:  PREFACE. 

ever  a  profit  could  be  made  out  of  it.— Chief  Justice  Taney,  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  in  the  Dred  Scott  decision  in 
1856. 

In  this  connection,  I  will  quote  the  words  of  a  promi 
nent  ecclesiastic,  a  writer  and  a  Bishop,  who  appropriately 
says  in  this  enlightened  year  of  1892 : 

The  ethnological  distinction  between  the  races  is  God's  o\vn 
work,  and  the  best  people  of  both  races  have  no  desire  to  oblit 
erate  the  distinction.  The  amalgamation  of  the  races  would 
demoralize  both,  and  lead  to  the  extirpation  of  the  weaker. 

There  is  practically  no  difference  between  the  Northern  and 
Southern  people  in  regard  to  the  color  line.  It  is  drawn  as  un 
mistakably  in  one  section  as  it  is  in  the  other.  The  people  of 
the  North  declaim  against  caste  and  racial  distinctions,  but 
they  draw  the  line  just  as  closely  as  we  do  in  the  South. 

They  will  listen,  it  is  true,  to  a  black  orator  on  the  platform 
and  applaud  him  to  the  echo,  but  they  do  not  invite  him  to 
their  parties,  however  charming  he  may  be  in  conversation,  nor 
do  they  ask  him  to  their  homes,  however  congenial  he  may 
be  socially.  They  never  think  of  intermarriage  with  him,  and 
there  is  not  a  white  congregation  in  the  North  that  is  served  by 
a  colored  preacher. 

They  have  done  a  great  deal  for  the  negro,  for  which  they 
deserve  credit,  but  their  talk  about  the  obliteration  of  caste  is 
flatly  contradicted  by  their  practice. 

Time,  the  great  solver  of  all  problems,  has  adjusted  the 
status  of  the  negro  in  the  United  States  more  favorably 
than  either  President  Jefferson  or  President  Lincoln  an 
ticipated.  Realizing  that  the  wisest  statesmanship  and 
the  broadest  philanthropy  go  hand  in  hand  in  this  Re 
public,  the  superior  race  has  done  all  in  its  power,  since 
the  negro  became  "lord  of  himself, that  heritage  of  woe," 
to  aid  the  inferior  race  iii  advancing  to  the  full  stature 
of  citizenship. 

While  common  humanity  revolts  at  the  efforts  of  irre 
sponsible  leaders  to  induce  poor  and  ignorant  negroes  to 
leave  comfortable  homes  in  America  to  go  to  the  savage 
wilds  of  Africa,  when  such  emigration  becomes  volun 
tary,  whether  to  Mexico,  South  America,  or  Africa,  and 
is  led  by  competent  leaders,  no  valid  objection  can  be 
made  to  it.  With  a  half  million  white  immigrants  to 
this  country  annually,  and  not  one  negro,  the  race  prob 
lem  will  solve  itself;  and  the  most  unfortunate  of  all  of 
God's  creatures,  perhaps,  are  the  daughters  of  octoroon 
mothers  like  the  character  which  constitutes  the  argu 
ment  of  this  story. 


THE  MODERN  PARIAH 


A.    NOVEL. 


I. 

In  one  of  the  few  dwellings  left  standing  after  the  siege 
and  capture  of  Atlanta  in  1864,  a  gentleman,  who  was 
just  beginning  to  recover  from  a  severe  illness  of  typhoid 
fever,  was  reclining  on  a  lounge.  By  his  side  sat  his  wife, 
who  had  arrived  a  few  days  previously  from  their  home 
in  Connecticut  in  order  that  she  might  nurse  her  invalid 

husband,  Colonel  John  Adams,  of  the th  Connecticut 

Regiment.  She  was  gently  stroking  his  hair  and  trying 
to  entertain  him,  but  he  seemed  preoccupied  with  some 
anxiety  which  he  had  not  expressed.  "What  is  troub 
ling  you,  my  dear?  "  she  asked  him,  kissing  his  forehead 
as  she  spoke. 

"I  feel  anxious  about  the  condition  of  the  best  nurse 
I  ever  saw — to  whom,  I  think,  I  owe  my  convalesence,  if 
not  my  life." 

"  Who  is  she?    I  would  like  to  meet  her.'' 

"  She  is  a  rarely  beautiful  and  gentle  young  woman — a 
volunteer  nurse  in  the  hospital  where  I  wns  sick,  of 
whose  antecedents  none  of  us  knew  anything.  She  has 
evidently  had  the  best  social  connections." 

"It  is  strange  that  such  a  person  should  be  a  nurse  in 
a  Federal  hospital,  if  she  is  Southern-born." 

"No,  it  is  not;  because  many  Confederate  officers  were 
too  grievously  wounded  to  be  carried  further,  and  many 
of  them  are  in  our  hospital  now.  She  may  have  sought 
among  them  some  relative,  and  thus  became  a  nurse." 

"  Where  is  she  now?  I  would  like  to  thank  her  for  her 
kindness  to  you.;: 

(5) 


6  THE    MODERN   PARIAH. 

Taking  a  worn  card  from  his  pocket  he  handed  it  to 
her,  saying:  "That  is  her  address;  she  gave  it  to  me 
before  leaving  a  month  ago  that  I  might  send  for  her  if 
I  had  a  relapse.  I  have  heard  that  she  is  ill  also." 

"  I  will  go  to  see  her  this  afternoon,''  said  his  wife. 

The  desolate  city  was  a  heap  of  ruins,  and  it  was  late 
before  she  found  the  humble  house  where  the  sick  woman 
lived.  It  was  a  servant's  house,  the  residence  of  the 
owner  having  been  burned,  as  were  nearly  all  the  resi 
dences  in  the  city,  when  it  was  captured.  Underneath  it 
a  "bomb-proof"  cellar  had  been  dug  during  the  siege, 
Avhen  bombshells  were  thrown  in  every  portion  of  the 
city.  She  entered,  after  knocking  repeatedly  and  receiv 
ing  no  response,  and  found  the  sick  woman  alone  on  her 
bed  and  very  ill,  indeed. 

"Can  I  do  anything  to  relieve  your  suffering?  " 

"No,  ma'am;  I  thank  you,  but  death  will  soon  end 
it." 

"You  must  not  talk  thus — must  not  think  that  you 
are  going  to  die.  We  will  take  care  of  you." 

The  sick  woman's  hours  on  earth  were  indeed  num 
bered.  With  that  strength  given  to  mortals  a  few  hours 
before  dissolution,  when  all  physical  pain  has  ceased  and 
the  mind  passes  in  review  the  life  that  is  flickering  away, 
like  a  candle  burned  low  in  the  socket,  the  sick  woman 
fixed  her  ga.ze  upon  the  lady  and  spoke  with  a  mind  as 
clear  as  if  sickness  had  not  wasted  away  a  once  beauti 
ful  form  and  lovely  face;  for  the  octoroon  maidens  in 
the  South  are  frequently  remarkable  for  physical  beauty, 
and  this  dying  girl  was  noted  for  her  lovely  form  and 
perfect  features. 

Who  was  she? 

-Simply  a  slave  girl,  whose  parents  were — the  mother  a 
quadroon  woman,  raised  in  the  family  of  her  master  as 
a  "  house-servant;  "  the  father — Tinconnu — no  one  knew. 

"  My  dear  girl,  let  me  aid  you  in  some  way ,  you  saved 
my  husband's  life."  The  dying  woman  evidently  appre 
ciated  what  was  said,  and  the  lady  continued:  "He  is 
still  too  feeble  to  come  to  see  you.  but  he  has  told  me  of 
his  struggle  with  disease  in  the  terrible  typhoid  fever, 
and  he  has  commissioned  me  to  say  that  anything  he  or 
I  can  do  for  you  will  be  cheerfully  done.  We  consider  it 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  7 

a  sacred  duty  to  do  all  that  we  can  to  alleviate  your  suf 
ferings."  The  dying  woman  extended  her  feeble  hand — 
her  voice  had  grown  weaker,  and  she  was  conscious  of 
the  near  approach  of  death.  "Bend  down  so  that  you 
may  hear  me,"  she  said;  "my  voice  is  failing,  and  I  feel 
that  my  time  is  short." 

The  lady  took  her  hand,  and  with  her  own  she  gently 
caressed  her  head  until  she  perceived  that  already 
death  had  dampened  her  brow.  With  a  startled  look, 
which  she  could  not  repress,  she  bent  low  to  the  ear  of 
the  dyiDg  woman,  who  said,  in  gasps:  "I  leave  her  to 
you — my  little  baby — take  care  of  her ;  she  has  no  other 
friend  except  poor  old  Aunt  Charity."  Then  rising  up 
in  bed  with  an  almost  superhuman  effort,  she  pointed  to 
a  cradle  in  the  corner  of  the  room. 

"She  is  there— she  was  born  ten  days  ago,  and  even 
the  hospital  nurses  are  not  aware  of  her  existence." 

The  lady  moved  as  if  to  approach  it.  "Stay!"  said 
the  sick  woman;  "a  moment  more,  while  I  have  the 
strength  to  speak.  Aunt  Charity  is  an  old  colored 
woman  whom  I  call  'Mammy.'  She  alone  was  with  me 
at  its  birth,  and  she  alone  knows  that  I  am  its  mother, 
except  the  doctor,  who  has  pledged  himself  to  keep  my 
secret.  She  will  be  here  to-day  to  take  care  of  my  child." 

"  Why  should  you  do  that?  Why  should  you  not  ac 
knowledge  it  to  the  world  ?  "  asked  the  lady.  "  Let  the 
child  at  least  know  its  father." 

"  I  have  not  the  time ;  and  you  could  not  understand  if 
I  explained,"  she  said.  "  I  do  not  wish  it  to  bexeared  as 
the  child  of  a  colored  person.  S'death  1  ah  !  the  sting  of 
death !  This— is— death !  Its  father— God  bless  and  pre 
serve  him!  is  a  white  man — and  a.  noble  one — and  I  wish 
the  child  to  be  raised  as  a  white  child —  it  is  white.  Will 
you  take  care  of  it?  Oh !  promise  me  this,  and  I  will  die 
happy.  Bring — my — child ! "  She  fell  back,  an  appealing 
look  upon  her  eyes,  even  in  death,  for  in  a  moment  she 
was  dead.  Scarcely  had  the  lady  recovered  from  the 
shock  caused  by  this  unexpected  revelation,  and  the  sud 
den  termination  of  the  interview,  when  the  cries  of  the 
infant  summoned  her  to  its  side.  It  was  a  strong, 
healthy,  blue-eyed  babe,  with  straight  hair  and  not  a 
vestige  of  negro  blood  in  its  appearance.  If  it  had  been 


8  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

placed  among  a  thousand  infante,  it  would  probably 
have  never  been  selected,  if  it  had  been  stated  that  the 
offspring  of  an  octoroon  slave  was  among  the  number. 

As  she  gently  lifted  it  in  her  arms  and  placed  it  beside 
its  mother,  whom  she  supposed  was  a  white  woman  be 
fore  this  interview  enlightened  her,  she  noticed  that  the 
linen  in  which  it  was  clothed  was  of  the  finest  texture  and 
evinced  the  care  and  handiwork  of  an  accomplished  laun 
dress  and  seamstress.  Alas!  the  hand  which  had  been 
wont  to  caress,  the  heart  which  had  longed  to  love  the 
helpless  babe,  was  stilled  forever.  The  lady  would  have 
removed  the  infant,  which  was  now  crying  lustily,  but 
for  the  accents  which  greeted  her  from  the  doorway  of 
the  humble  cabin :  "  Hush  up,  chile,  I'se  a-comin';  mam 
my's  a-comin'!"  An  old  negress  with  large  form,  and 
features  which  smiled  with  good  nature,  entered  the 
room,  her  head  turbaned  with  a  yellow  handkerchief 
after  the  fashion  in  vogue  on  the  plantations.  "I'sea- 
comin',  honey ;  mammy's  a-comin';  hush  up,  chile !  " 

She  ceased  suddenly,  as  the  unexpected  vision  of  a  lady 
standing  by  the  bedside,  bending  over  mother  and  babe, 
greeted  her  eyes.  As  the  lady  looked  around  to  see  who 
the  visitor  might  be,  the  old  negress  courtsied  respect 
fully,  and  said:  "Howdy,  Missie,  glad  to  see  you, 
ma'am ;  how  is  Mandy  now  ?  " 

"Are  you  this  woman's  nurse?  "  she  asked. 

"I'se  her  baby's  nuss,  ma'am,  an'  I'll  nuss  Mandy  ont- 
well  she  is  well.  Poor,  dear  chile !  How  is  you  dis  morn- 
in',  Mandy?" 

The  child  was  crying  still,  and  the  old  woman  ad 
vanced  to  the  bed  to  take  her  from  its  mother's  arms, 
when,  as  she  saw  that  death  was  there,  she  fell  back  as  if 
stricken  herself,  and  gazed  in  speechless  sorrow. 

"  Take  the  child ! "  said  the  lady,  finally. 

The  command  brought  her  to  her  senses,  and  she 
mechanically  obeyed,  the  tears  streaming  down  her  face 
meanwhile,  as  she  walked  the  baby  up  and  down  the 
room  until  it  was  quieted,  when  she  placed  it  in  the  cradle 
again.  Then  she  gave  way  to  her  grief  with  the  loud 
demonstrations  peculiar  to  her  race,  and  seemed  to  the 
lady  to  be  almost  demented.  The  position  of  the  latter 
was  embarrassing,  and  she  sought  to  calm  the  old 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  9 

woman,  who  became  more  incoherent  in  her  ravings  in 
pro]  ortion  to  the  efforts  of  the  lady  to  quiet  her. 
Finally  she  said  to  her:  "Is  this  dead  woman  your 
child  ?" 

"  Who,  me,  ma'am  ?    Is  Mandy  my  chile?  " 

"  Yes,  you ;  are  you  this  woman's  mother?  " 

"Who!  Mandy's?  Me,  Mandy's  mother?  W'y,  don't 
you  see  she's  a-most  white,  and  I  am  black,  ma'am?  " 

"  Yes,  I  see  that  plainly,  but  I  am  not  familiar  enough 
with  the  distinctions  of  color  to  know  what  is  usual  in 
such  cases/' 

"  Well,  ma'am,  I  ain't  Mandy's  mother;  nur  her  father 
nuther!  She  ain't  had  nair  one,  father  nur  mother,  all 
her  born  days,  Mandy  ain't,  bless  de  pore  chile! " 

"What  do  you  mean,  woman?  Don't  trifle  now,  at 
this  sacred  hour;  in  the  presence  of  death." 

"Oh!  Lordy!  Mandy!  Mandy!  Wake  up  to  life, 
Mandy;  who  gwine  to  tak  keer  uv  your  chile?"  Then 
she  caressed  the  dead  woman  as  if  she  was  her  own  child. 

"  Surely  such  affection  cannot  be  feigned,"  thought  the 
lady  as  she  witnessed  the  scene. 


II. 

The  dead  woman  had  been  buried  two  days,  and  the 
old  negress  was  now  in  the  apartments  occupied  by  the 
strange  lady  and  her  invalid  husband,  in  a  large  old 
house  which  had  been  abandoned  by  its  owners  during 
the  siege. 

Colonel  Adams  had  gone  for  a  drive  in  the  sunshine, 
and  the  visit  of  the  old  negress  was  by  appointment  at 
an  hour  when  he  would  not  be  present,  so  that  he  could 
not  be  excited  or  disturbed  by  the  recitals  concerning 
the  gentle  nurse  to  Avhom  he  owed  his  own  recovery  to 
health,  and  who  had  been  thus  suddenly  taken  away 
from  life  just  as  she  was  entering  womanhood.  The 
babe  had  been  placed  upon  the  lady's  bed  by  her  instruc 
tions,  and  she  kissed  its  sleeping  face,  saying: 

"  What  a  beautiful  child  it  is !  " 

"  Deed  it  is, ma'am;  jist  lak  its  mother  when  she  was  q> 
baby." 


10  THE   MODE3N   PARIAH. 

The  lady  took  a  chair  near  the  fire  and  motioned  to 
the  old  woman  to  do  likewise.  The  latter  remained 
standing. 

"  'Scuse  me,  miss,  but  I  ain't  used  to  settin'  down  wid 
ladies." 

"Sit  down,  my  friend.  I  am  not  accustomed  to  have 
an  old  woman  standing  up  to  tell  rne  a  long  story;  sit 
down;  I  insist  upon  it." 

Thus  commanded  the  old  negress  obeyed. 

"  Now  tell  me,  first,  your  name,"  said  the  lady. 

"I  am  Aunt  Charity.  Marster's  oldest  chile  warnt  no 
bigger  'n  dat  baby  dar  when  1  took  charge  uv  him;  and 
I  nussed  him  and  all  hischillun.  He  calls  me  '  Aunt  Char 
ity,'  and  so  did  all  deir  chillun,  but  dare  ain't  but  one  on 
'em  left  now.  Yes,  ma'a.m;  my  name's  Aunt  Charity;  all 
de  folks  at  home  knows  me  by  dat  name,  an'  dafs  my 
name." 

The  lady  smiled.  "  Here  is  an  original,"  she  thought. 
But  in  truth  this  old  woman  was  but  a  type  of  a  very 
numerous  class. 

"  Well,  Charity,  what  is  your  other  name?  Charity,  I 
suppose,  is  your  Christian  name." 

"  To-be-shore  it  is,  for  ain't  I  a  Christian?  But  I  ain't 
got  no  other  name,  ma'am,  'ceptin  'tis  Aunt  Charity. 
Beggin'  your  pardon,  ma'am,  but  you  is  de  fust  pusson 
what  has  called  me  'Charity'  for  twenty  year  an'  more, 
ma'am,  'ceptin  'tis  ole  marster,  ma'am." 

The  lady '&  quick  intelligence  grasped  the  idea,  and  she 
at  once  replied : 

''•  It  is  I  who  must  ask  your  pardon.  I  did  not  mean  to 
offend  you,  and,  if  you  wish  it,  I  will  call  you  'Aunt 
Charity,'  too." 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am ;  now  I  feels  more  home-like,  and 
kin  talk  better.  I  know  you've  got  a  kind  heart,  or  you 
would  not  have  come  to  see  Mandy — pore,  dear  crittur ! 
— and  yit,  ontwell  you  calls  me  '  Aunt  Charity  '  I  can't 
feel  like  you  was  anything  but  a  furrin  stranger." 
"  Well,  Aunt  Charity,  proceed  with  your  story." 

The  old  negress  smiled  as  she  again  addressed  her  thus, 
and  said  :  "Mandy  didn't  know  it, and  I'm  mighty  proud 
she  didn't,  but  dis  baby's  father,  Marse  Henry,  died  a 
week  afore  Mandy  did.  He  was  shot  by  dem  Yankees." 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  11 

"What!"  said  the  lady;  "  is  the  child's  father  dead?" 

"Yes,  ma'am;  an'  I  nussed  him  ontwell  he  died,  an' 
he  made  me  promise  dat  I  wouldn't  tell  Mandy  how 
porely  he  was,  'cause  he  was  afeared  she  would  come  to 
nuss  him;  and  he  knowed  she  warn't  in  no  fix  to  nuss 
nobody  jist  at  dat  time." 

The  lady's  interest  was  doubly  enlisted  now.  Surely 
here  was  a  sentiment  that  honored  humanity,  and  was 
rendered  all  the  more  marked  by  the  circumstances  at 
tending  it.  Public  opinion,  as  nvell  as  common  sense, 
would  not  countenance  a  marriage  between  an  octoroon 
girl  and  a  gentleman  anywhere  in  the  United  States ;  in 
the  slave  States  it  would  be  the  most  cruel  act  which  he 
could  have  committed.  Yet  the  spirit  of  caste  was  in  her 
own  veins,  and  she  was,  in  a  measure,  isolated  by  reason 
of  her  white  skin  from  her  fellow  slaves.  Never  in  her 
life  had  she  been  treated  as  a  slave,  and  yet  she  had 
never  been  the  equal  of  her  playmates,  the  children  of  her 
master,  not  one  of  whom  was  as  pretty  as  this  depend 
ent  orphan. 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  continued  the  old  negress;  "dat'sde 
way  hit  happened.  Marse  Henry,  he  tuck  and  went 
along  wid  Gineral  Hood's  army,  atter  de  Yankees  had 
tuck  dis  town  and  burnt  it  all  up,  or  down,  ma'am,  drot 
'em!  an'  lo!  an'  behole,  week  afore  last,  my  boy,  who 
was  Marse  Henry's  body-servant,  knocked  at  my  door, 
he  did,  one  night  about  midnight.  'Who  dat?'  I  up 
and  say,  an'  soon  as  my  Bob  heerd  my  voice,  he  knowed 
it,  God  bless  de  chile!  an'  he  bust  de  door  down  and 
run  in  and  say,  '  Howdy,  mammy;  how's  all?  Hit's  me.' 
Oh,  Lordy !  how  glad  I  was  to  see  dat  boy;  and  den  he 
tole  me  dat  Marse  Henry  had  been  shot  all  to  pieces  at 
de  battle  uv  Franklin,  away  yander  in  Tennessee,  and 
was  a-lyin'  now  in  a  cabin  on  a  plantation  near  dis 
town;  and  den  he  cried  art  cried,  and  I  jined  him,  and 
we  bofe  on  us  cried  ;  fur  I  loved  Marse  Henry  next  to  my 
own  chillun.  Den  Bob,  he  ax  me,  '  Mammy,  is  Mandy  in 
Atlanta?'  And  I  tole  him  she  was.  'Well,  den,' says 
he,  '  don't,  don't,  for  de  Lord's  sake,  let  on  to  her  about 
Marse  Henry's  bein'  here  and  wounded.  Wait  ontwell 
her  chile  is  born.  Marse  Henry  made  me  promise  dat, 
fur  he  said  he  knowed  he  was  a-gwine  to  die  and  never 


12  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

would  go  no  furder  toards  home.'  And  wid  dat  speech, 
ma'am,  Bob  broke  loose  agin  an'  cried  as  if  he  had 
already  put  pore  Marse  Henry  in  de  ground." 

Here  Old  Charity's  feelings  overcame  her,  and  she  cried 
with  uncontrolla  ble  grief. 

Finally  the  lady  said  to  her  in  a  gentle  tone :  "And  the 
young  man  died,  did  he,  Aunt  Charity  ?  " 

"Yes,  ma'am,  he  died  de  very  next  day,  an'  my  Bob 
an'  me,  bofe  on  us,  were  wid  him  to  de  last.  He  would 
not  let  me  bring  Mandy*  to  him.  «  Don't  let  her  know  of 
my  death,  Aunt  Charity,  ontwell  her  chile  is  born,  an' 
she  is  strong  and  well.  I  have  placed  money  in  a  bank 
in  Atlanta  for  her,  and  that  will  take  care  of  her.'  Dem  wus 
amost  de  last  words  he  spoke,  ma'am.  Atter  dat  he  jist 
choked  to  death  atryin'  to  say  more." 

"  Was  he  buried  here?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"No,  ma'am ;  Bob  and  me,  we  tuck  him  home,  an'  pore 
ole  marster  will  never  be  de  same  agin.  An'  de  folks  on 
de  plantation  seemed  lak  dey  had  lost  one  of  dere  own 
kin — dat  they  did!  Marse  Henry  wus  de  kindest  boy  I 
ever  seed,  ma'am." 

"  Where  is  your  son  now,  Aunt  Charity?  " 

The  old  woman  hesitated,  then  said:  "You  wouldn't 
a  thought  it,  ma'am,  nor  me  nuther,  but  dat  ar  son  of 
mine,  dat  Bob,  is  a  Yankee  soldier  dis  very  minute ! " 

The  lady  could  not  refrain  from  laughing  at  this  unex 
pected  announcement. 

"Why,  I  thought  you  disliked  the  Yankees,"  she  said. 

"An'  I  does,  ma'am.  Ain't  dey  done  burnt  down  dis 
here  town,  and  stole  all  my  chickens,  an'  de  pig,  an' 
trompled  down  all  my  gyarden,  and  played  de  very  tar 
nation  devil  wid  everthing  and  everbody?  No,  ma'am, 
dey  ain't  none  o'  our  folks ;  an'  I  wants  'em  to  go  'long 
'bout  dere  business,  an'  leave  us  alone,  ma'am,  dat  I 
does!" 

"  But  what  will  you  do  about  your  son?  " 

The  old  negress  laughed  with  glee  as  she  thought  of 
Bob. 

"  Well,  ma'am,  to  tell  you  de  God's  trufe,  dis  here  is  de 
curiousest  world  I  ever  has  seed.  Dat  ar  Bob  comin' 
here  one  day  wid  his  Marse  Henry's  old  gray  uniform  on, 
wid  de  officer's  atrops  and  gold  bands  tore  offen  hit,  a. 


THE   MODERN    PABIAH.  15 

when  de  Yankees  come  dis  way,  he  sont  her  away;  an' 
he  put  in  de  bank  in  Atlanta  a  thousand  gold  dollars  for 
her." 

"  Where  is  that  money  now  ?  "  asked  the  lady. 

"De  good  Lord  knows;  I  don't,  ma'am,  no  more'n 
Mandy  did  atter  dem  Yankees  sont  de  bum-shells 
through  de  town  an'  driv  us  into  de  cellars  to  live,  and 
burnt  down  de  whole  town,  ma'am.  Dey  did  do  it, 
ma'am,  fur  I  seed  em  set  de  houses  on  fire,  an'  I  font  em 
off  from  burnin'  my  cabin,  ma'am." 

"What  did  you  fight  the  soldiers  with?"  asked  the 
lady  amused  at  this  statement,  made  with  all 'the  mani 
festations  of  temper  which  the  irate  old  darkey  could 
give  expression  to. 

"Wid  my  ole  man's  shovel,  an'  de  hoe,  ma'am;  an' 
what's  more  an*  dat,  when  one  on  dem  hit  me  back  wid 
his  gun,  I  drapped  de  hoe,  an'  tuck  de  ax,  an',  Lord  bless 
you,  honey,  de  way  dat  Yank  got  out  o'  my  yard  was  a 
caution!"  exclaimed  the  old  woman,  her  fat  sides  shak 
ing  with  laughter  as  she  recalled  the  scene. 

The  lady,  too,  seemed  convulsed  with  laughter,  and 
just  at  that  moment  her  husband,  leaning  on  a  cane 
for  support,  stood  in  the  doorway. 

"Ah!  John,  I  am  glad  you  have  come;  I  wish  you 
had  come  in  an  hour  earlier.  This  is  Aunt  Charity, 
John." 

"How-de-do,  Marse  Cunnel,  I  think  I  have  totted 
vittles  to  you,  sir,  afore  dis." 

"What!"  said  the  lady,  "do  you  know  this  old  col 
ored  woman,  John?"  Colonel  Adams  smiled  as  he  ex 
tended  his  hand,  saying:  "I  am  thankful  to  say  that 
I  do;  how  do  you  do,  Aunt  Charity?" 

A  broad  grin  illuminated  the  old  negress'  face  as 
she  replied:  "Porely,  thank  de  Lord,  Mars  Cunnel; 
Mandy  is  dead,  sir."  As  she  made  this  statement,  she 
bore  her  apron  to  her  eyes,  and  in  a  moment  was 
weeping  with  grief. 

"What !  I  am  truly  sorry  to  hear  this,"  said  Colonel 
Adams. 

"This  old  woman,  my  dear,  was  the  friend,  or  serv 
ant,  of  the  young  girl  to  whose  careful  nursing  I  am 
indebted,  1  think,  for  my  convalescence.  Aunt  Charity 


16  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

was,  it  seems,  her  nurse  when  a  child,  and  she  was  as 
beautiful  as  she  was  good." 

Mrs.  Adams  had  carefully  refrained  from  telling  her 
husband  of  the  fatal  termination  to  the  illness  of  the 
poor  girl,  or  of  its  cause,  and  she  was  relieved  to  see 
that  she  need  not  fear  the  result  of  excitement  now. 

"Come  here,  John,  I  wish  to  show  you  something," 
she  said,  moving  to  the  bedside.  There,  with  his  arm 
around  her  waist,  she  told  him  briefly  what  old  Char 
ity  had  said  to  her,  omitting,  however,  all  reference  to 
the  child's  negro  origin;  and  when  she  had  concluded 
he  bent  down  and  kissed  the  infant. 

"We  must  take  care  of  it  for  her  sake,"  he  said.  She 
hid  her  face  upon  his  shoulder,  and  thus  this  motherless 
child  found  in  this  childless  wife  an  adopted  mother. 

Mrs.  Adams  decided  that  she  would  wait  until  they 
had  reached  their  home  in  New  Haven  before  she  informed 
him  that  this  little  waif  was  the  illegitimate  child  of  a 
woman  whose  grandmother  was  a  mulatto  and  whose 
mother  was  a  bright  quadroon.  "He  may  then  send  it 
to  the  orphan  asylum,"  she  reflected ;  "but,  for  my  part, 
as  the  child  is  as  white  as  any  child  1  ever  saw,  I  have 
no  prejudices  in  the  matter."  A  new  nurse  was  pro 
vided,  and  they  decided  to  take  the  child  with  them  to 
their  Northern  home. 

At  the  plantation  home  of  the  venerable  gentleman, 
Mr.  Lee,  the  father  of  young  "  Harry  "  Lee,  as  his  friends 
called  him,  the  announcement  of  his  death  was  followed 
by  the  most  indubitable  evidences  of  grief  on  the  part  of 
the  family,  now  narrowed  to  three,  and  of  the  slaves 
numbering  three  hundred.  But  a  short  time  before,  -the 
daily  newspaper  published  in  the  nearest  town,  had  an 
nounced  the  following  statements  in  its  telegraphic 
columns: 

ATLANTA  GA.,  August  12, 1864. 

Brisk  skirmishing  on  the  extreme  left  last  night  without  im 
portant  result.  The  batteries  on  Marietta  street  and  east  of 
the  State  Railroad  opened  upon  the  city  at  one  o'clock  this 
morning,  and  continue  to  the  present.  Many  houses  were 
struck  on  McDonough  street.  No  casualties  reported.  The 
enemy  is  reported  to  be  massing  on  the  left,  but  making  no 
efforts  to  extend  its  right. 

Lieutenant  Henry  Lee  had  greatly  distinguished  him- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  17 

self  in  the  famous  battle  at  Atlanta  of  the  22d  July, 
and,  being  slightly  wounded,  had  accepted  a  furlough  and 
had  gone  home  for  a  few  days'  rest  with  his  aged  par 
ents.  But  as  soon  as  the  above  telegram  was  read  by 
him,  he  decided  to  return  immediately  "to  the  front" 
and  bear  his  share  of  a  patriot's  duty  there.  Thus  it 
happened  that  no  news  was  received  from  him  until  his 
remains  were  brought  home  for  interment  by  "Aunt 
Charity"  and  her  son,  Bob. 

The  old  gentleman  was  a  grizzled  veteran  two  weeks 
before,  but  "hale  and  hearty."  and  ready  with  his  mus 
ket  to  take  his  place  among  the  "Home  Guards."  His 
home  was  noted  for  its  generous  hospitality,  and  he  en 
joyed  a  game  of  whist  and  seemed  as  full  of  vim  and  en 
ergy  as  the  youngest  men  of  the  day.  Now  his  hair 
became  as  white  as  snow  in  twenty-four  hours,  his  step 
seemed  feebler,  and  age  suddenly  stamped  its  impress  on 
form  and  features.  It  was  known  that,  after  the  burial 
of  his  son,  he  was  closeted  for  a  long  time  with  "Aunt 
Charity,"  and  it  was  whispered  around  the  "quarters" 
that  his  will  had  been  changed,  and  Amanda's  child  had 
been  remembered  and  provided  for. 


III. 

"Tell  me  something  of  the  siege,  Aunt  Charity,"  said 
Mrs.  Adams  to  the  old  negress,  who  had  called  a  few 
days  after  her  interview  with  the  old  woman. 

"I'm  come  dis  mornin,  ma'am,  jist  to  see  Mandy's 
chile,  ma'am,"  she  had  said  as  she  entered  the  apart 
ment  with  a  courtesy  The  child  was  sleeping  and  she 
turned  to  the  lady  and  asked : 

"Of  de  what,  ma'am?  de  bum-shells  done  busted  my 
old  ears,  I  reggin,  kase  I  don't  onderstand  easy." 

"  Of  the  siege  of  Atlanta — of  the  time  when  they  threw 
those  terrible  bombshells  into  the  town." 

"  Oh !  is  dat  what  you  wants  to  know  about — when  de 
Yankees  throwed  deir  bums  at  everbody  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  the  lady,  "  only  I  must  dispute  your  state 
ment  that  our  soldiers  fired  at  the  defenceless  people  in 
the  city." 

M.P.-2 


18  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

"But  dey  did  do  it,  ma'am;  I  don't  want  to  'spute 
nothin'  no  white  lady  says  to  me — I've  lived  too  long 
wid  quality -folks  fur  dat — but  I  was  here,  ma'am,  and 
dey  did  do  it!  boggin'  your  pardon,  ma'am." 

"  The  order  was  given  by  the  general  commanding  our 
army  for  the  non-combatants — the  people — to  leave, 
and  they  fired  at  the  rebel  army." 

"I  don't  know  nothin  'bout  no  'rebel  army,'  ma'am; 
de  Yankees  come  fightin'  our  white  folks  to  free  us  nig 
gers,  dey  tell  me,  but  I  don't  bleeve  dat  part  uv  it ;  fur 
what  good  is  it  gwine  do  dem  Yankee  furriners  to  give 
us  freedom,  ma'am?" 

"  Tell  me  all  about  the  siege,  Aunt  Charity,"  replied 
Mrs.  Adams,  not  wishing  to  discuss  the  knotty  problem 
thus  presented  by  the  old  darkey  for  her  consideration. 
The  stirring  scenes  which  were  daily  enacted  during  the 
memorable  siege  of  Atlanta  in  the  year  1864,  were  still 
fre.-h  in  the  mind  of  Old  Charity,  Who  replied  : 

"  Well,  den,  de  fust  bum-shell  was  flung  in  de  street  up 
yonder  on  de  corner,  whar  I  was  drawin'  some  water 
frum  de  well— 1  seed  ole  Miss  Gary  a  Walkin'  along  wid 
a  chile,  a  little  gal.  She  was  holdin' de  chile  by  de  hand 
and  walkin'  along  jist  as  peaceable-like  as  me  an'  you  is 
now,  when  I  heerd  somepen  'ner  whistle  through  de  air 
— an  dat  sound  was  wuss  dan  air  steam  ingine's  whistle 
I  ever  heerd,  ma'am.  Den,  all  of  a  sudden,  de  burn 
busted  an  filled  de  air  wid  dust  and  smoke,  so  dat  delady 
and  de  little  gal  was  kivered  out  of  sight.  When  de 
smoke  cleared  away,  dat  ole  white  ooman  was  standin' 
dare  lak  she  was  'stracted,fur  de  little  gal  was  shot  all  to 
pieces  by  dat  ar  bum ! " 

The  lady  leaned  forward  to  hear  this  graphic  recital, 
for  it  was  with  difficulty  that  she  could  understand  the 
old  darkey's  plantation  dialect. 

"  What  a  pity !  that  was  horrible,"  she  said. 

"Yes  ma'am,  hit  wus;  but  'twarnt  as  bad  as  some  of 
de  sights  I  seed." 

"  Go  on  and  tell  me  all  about  it,  Aunt  Charity." 

"One  day,  uv  de  next  week,  I  went  over  to  Markham 
Street  to  see  another  nigger  oonian,  who  was  as  big  a 
fool  as  me  fur  stayiu'  dar  atter  dem  bum-shells  told  us 
to  git  up  an'  git;  an'  I  found  de  white  folks  and  de  black 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  19 

folks  all  in  de  basement.  De  white  lady's  face  was 
pale  as — as  ashes, ma'am,  an'  she  was  a  huggin'  her  baby 
lak  she  feared  she  never  gwine  to  see  it  no  more. 
De  nigger  ooman  was  a  kneelin'  on  de  flo',  and  de  way 
she  sont  up  dat  prar  would  a'  shamed  de  preacher  uv  Big 
Bethel  church,  ef  he  hadn't  runned  away  an'  lef  de 
oomen  and  chillun  to  take  keer  uv  deirselves." 

"  What  was  the  matter  with  them?"  asked  the  lady, 
for  Old  Charity's  indignation,  when  she  thought  of  the 
preacher's  desertion  of  his  flock,  caused  her  to  omit  the 
interesting  part  of  her  recital. 

"  Dem  bums  was  jist  ascreechin'  an'  a  bustin'  all  about 
de  yard,  an' de  lady  riz  frum  her  cheer  in  de  hall  whar 
she  was  a  rockin'  de  cradle  wid  de  baby  in  it  asleep,  when 
one  uv  de  bums  went  through  a  room  upstairs.  She 
hadn't  hardly  tuck  de  baby  in  her  arms  an'  runned  down 
into  de  basement  when  a  bum-shell  come  right  in  de  hall 
and  tore  de  cradle  an  de  bedclothes  into  kindlin'  an 
slivers." 

"Mercy  on  me!  What  a  narrow  escape!  What  else 
did  you  see?  "said  the  lady,  becoming  more  and  more 
interested. 

"  I  seed  a  little  white  boy  hit  by  a  bum  while  he  was 
gwine  across  Forsyth  street  fur  a  bucket  of  water.  De 
well  was  inde  yard  where  our  soldiers  had  deir  horsepital, 
and  de  little  boy  was  on  his  way  dar,  when  de  shell 
busted  an'  a  piece  hit  him  in  de  stomach,  and  tore  his 
stomach  all  to  pieces." 

"  Disemboweled  the  poor  child  ?  " 

"Yes,  ma'am,  dat  hit  did,  fur  I  seed  hit;  an'  one  of  the 
soldiers  runned  out  de  horsepital  yard  an'  toted  de  chile 
to  de  horsepital,  an'  he  a  dyin'  on  de  way  dar." 

"  And  what  did  you  do  ?  "  queried  the  lady. 

"  I  made  a  bee-line  fur  home,  an' when  I  got  dar,  I  went 
down  into  my  bum-proof,  as  we  called  'em,  an'  I  stopped 
up  de  bunghole,  an'  I  staid  dar  ontwell  de  next  day." 

"  Did  you  ever  dodge  any  of  the  shells?  " 

"Yes,  ma'am,  I  did;  but  I  knowed  dey  warn't  a 
shootin'  at  me  but  at  de  white  folks." 

The  lady  smiled  and  asked :  "  Were  any  of  your  friends 
hurt,  Aunt  Charity  ?" 

"Noneuvmy  colored  friends,  ma'am;  but  de  superin- 


20  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

tendent  uv  de  new  gas  works  was  very  good  to  me,  an' 
but  fur  him  I  bleeve  I'd  a  starved." 

"And  was  he  hurt?" 

"Yes,  ma'am  ;  he  went  to  bed  one  night,  an'  bein'  a 
widder-man,  he  tuck  his  little  gal,  six  years  old,  to  bed 
wid  him.  When  I  went  dar  de  next  day  to  git  some 
meal,  I  found  a  heap  uv  folks  dar,  an'  he  an'  his  chile 
wus  bofe  on  'em  dead  in  bed — killed  by  a  bum !  " 

"  That  was  sad,  indeed.  But  it  is  strange  that  the 
colored  people  were  not  killed  also." 

"  No,  ma'am,  it  warn't;  ole  marster  in  heaven  knowed 
dat  we  warnt  fightin'  no  war — Why,  one  day  a  bum 
come  through  the  servant's  room  at  Judge  Payton's, 
whar  two  little  pickaninnies  wus  a  sleepin',  one  in  a  cradle 
an'  one  close  beside  t'other  one  in  a  bed.  De  bum  busted 
and  sot  fire  to  de  cradle  bedclothes,  but  nary  one  uv 
dem  little  nigger  babies  wus  hurt." 

The  lady  smiled  at  this  singular  faith  in  the  workings 
of  Providence,  even  when  bombshells  were  flying  about. 

"Does  you  know  Gineral  Sam-Sam,  ma'am  ?  "  asked 
Old  Charity. 

"No,  I  do  not  know  General  Salms-Salms;  but  I  have 
heard  of  hi m .  Why  do  you  ask  ? ' ' 

"  Bekase  his  wife  was  mighty  good  to  ole  Mrs.  Schnei 
der.  All  her  sons  wus  in  our  army,  an'  yit  she  wouldn't 
go  away  frum  home.  She  lives  over  yonder  on  Forest 
street,  an'  one  night  she  was  a  sittin'  at  de  supper  table, 
when  a  bum  come  in  de  room,  an'  hit  de  table  leg  an' 
passed  between  her  feet,  an'  cut  off  bofe  on  'em;  least 
ways  de  doctors  finished  de  job  what  de  bum  com 
menced." 

"Dear  me!  and  is  the  woman  still  living?  " 

"Yes.  ma'am;  and  she  never  took  nothin'  to  ease  de 
pain  while  de  doctors  wus  a  spilin'  of  her  by  cuttin'  off 
her  feet.  I  stood  dar  and  seed  'em  do  it,  an'  I  never  seed 
sich  grit  showed  by  nair  nother  human,  man  nur 
ooman." 

"  You  must  take  me  to  see  her  to-morrow ;  I  wish  to 
do  all  I  can  for  the  poor  woman,"  said  the  lady. 

"I  knowed  you  would,  and  dat's  what  I  come  here  dis 
mornin'  fur.  In  course  I  want  to  see  as  much  of  Mandy's 
chile  as  I  kin,  but  I  come  here,  fust  an'  foremost  to  git 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  21 

you  to  go  an'  see  her,  an'  help  me  keep  her  from  per- 
ishin',  fur  Mrs.  Sam-Sam  has  done  gone,  an'  tuck  de 
Gineral  wid  her." 

"Truly,"  said  Mrs.  Adams,  " here  is  a  good  Samari 
tan,  in  spite  of  her  black  skin  and  rude  manner,"  and 
thus  her  charities  began. 

After  that  interview,  the  old  negress  disappeared,  and 
neither  Colonel  Adams  nor  his  wife  had  thought  of  ask 
ing  her  the  name  of  the  unfortunate  young  officer,  whose 
history  she  had  thus  graphically  related.  They  expected 
a  visit  from  her  the  next  day,  but  they  never  saw  her 
again.  Thus  they  had  adopted  a  nameless  babe. 


IV. 

Fifteen  years  later  found  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Adams, 
with  their  adopted  daughter,  Amanda,  living  in  a  beau 
tiful  home  in  that  most  classic  of  American  cities,  New 
H  aven. 

The  secret  of  Amanda's  birth  had  been  carefully  con 
cealed  from  her,  and  she  supposed  that  she  was  the 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Adams,  as  did  all  of  her  acquaintances. 

"Mamma,"  said  Amanda, one  Saturday;  "I  sometimes 
think  I  must  be  too  happy.  Everything  seems  so  beauti 
ful  in  this  lovely  world,  and  every  one  is  so  kind  to  me, 
that  I  wonder  how  any  one  can  consent  to  give  up  all 
the  delights  of  a  home,  such  as  ours  is,  to — ' 

"  To  what?  "  asked  her  mother,  amused  at  her  hesita 
tion  ;  for  Amanda  had  hesitated  when  she  thought  of 
how  ridiculous  it  might  seem  to  her  mother,  that  a  girl 
fifteen  years  old  should  be  contemplating  the  results  of 
giving  up  such  comforts  as  she  possessed  for  the  uncer 
tainties  of  married  life  with,  comparatively,  a  stranger. 

"To  do  as  Ella  Holt  has  done;  it  is  the  talk  of  the 
school ;  haven't  you  heard  it  ?  " 

"No,  you  foolish  little  gossip;  how  could  I  hear  any 
school  news  if  my  little  girl  was  not  given  to  the  atro 
cious  habit  of  '  telling  tales  out  of  school  ?'  What  has 
Ella  done,  my  dear?" 

"  There,  now !    I  must  not  tell  tales  out  of  school." 

Mrs.  Adams  smiled  and  continued  to  sew,  apparently 


22  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

absorbed  in  her  fancy  work.  But  as  she  had  foreseen, 
Amanda's  eagerness  to  tell  overcame  her  wish  to  repel 
the  charge  that  she  was  given  to  gossiping,  and  she 
soon  said:  "  Mamma,  if  a  girl  thinks  that  she  loves  a 
young  man,  and  her  parents  will  not  consent  to  her  re 
ceiving  his  attentions,  do  you  think  it  very  wicked  if  she 
runs  away  with  him,  and  marries  him?" 

Mrs.  Adams  dropped  her  work  with  a  startled  look, 
and  said :  "  What  do  you  mean,  my  child ;  what  put 
such  ideas  into  your  head  ?  " 

"  Oh !  it  is  not  me,  mamma;  I  don't  love  anybody  ex 
travagantly,  except  you  and  papa.  But  suppose  I  were 
to  fall  in  love,  as  you  did  with  papa,  I  am  afraid,  dear 
mamma,  I  would  do  just  like  Ella  Holt  has  done,  if  you 
refused  to  let  me  even  see  him,  and  placed  me  in  a 
convent." 

Amanda,  amused  at  her  mother's  troubled  expression, 
laughed  gaily,  and  added:  "Don't  borrow  trouble, 
mamma ;  I  don't  love  any  young  man,  but  I  like  every 
thing  and  everybody."  Gentle  and  affectionate,  the 
maiden  seemed  to  be  the  picture  of  happiness,  as  she 
wound  her  round,  supple  arms  around  her  mother's 
neck  and  kissed  her  again  and  again. 

"You  '  like  everything,'  do  you,  my  pet?  " 

"Yes,  mamma;  1  like  everybody,  and  I  do  not  fear 
anybody.  Every  one  is  so  good  to  me;  and,  mamma, 
New  Haven  must  be  the  prettiest  town  in  the  world,  and 
our  home  is  the  sweetest  home  in  New  Haven." 

Then  she  was  interrupted  by  the  sound  of  the  door-bell, 
and  she  leaped  up  and  ran  to  the  front  door  to  admit 
one  of  her  schoolmates  and  especial  friends  who  had 
called  to  spend  the  Saturday  holiday  with  her.  Though 
the  newcomer  was  cordially  greeted  by  her  mother,  the 
two  girls  soon  found  their  way  to  the  spacious  lawn,  and 
were,  for  the  time,  lost  to  her  view. 

Eesting  her  elbow  upon  the  table  near  the  window,  the 
amiable  lady  yielded  to  the  inclination  to  think  of  the 
past.  Her  mind  was  decidedly  analytical,  for  a  woman, 
and  she  at  first  sought  to  concentrate  it  upon  the  one 
thought:  "Why  am  I  so  often  worried  by  the  expres 
sions  of  this  dear,  innocent  child?  What  did  she  say 
just  now  to  arrest  my  attention?  And  why  should  her 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  23 

name  be  criticised  by  her  friends?  'Amanda!  is  it  a 
queer  name?  No;  it  is  absurd  to  think  of  it  further;  yet 
in  all  my  acquaintances  there  is  not  one  called  Amanda, 
and  now  my  poor  little  pet  tells  me  that  there  is  no 
other  girl  among  her  friends  and  companions  called 
Amanda.  It  certainly  must  be  a  strange  name — Amanda 
— 'Mandy!'  Oh,  horrors;  that  would  be  dreadful! 
Surely  no  white  girl  was  ever  called  'Mandy.'  We  must 
guard  against  that,  at  all  events.  The  dear  child  is  so 
affectionate  and  loving  that  she  can  scarcely  find  words 
sufficiently  endearing,  but  I  must  say  1  would  prefer  that 
she  would  use  less  extravagant  expressions,  and  yet  I 
had  not  the  heart  to  correct  her  as  she  came  in  the 
room,  a  very  sunbeam,  yesterday,  and  handed  me  her 
album,  a  gift  from  her  father. 

"'Oh,  mamma,'  she  said  to  me,  'isn't  papa  the  sweet 
est,  loveliest  man  on  earth?  See  what  a  pretty  album 
he  gave  me  to-day — my  fifteenth  birthday.'  What  could 
any  mother  do  but  acquiesce  without  selecting  such  a 
time  to  impress  upon  her  mind  that  the  words,  as  thus 
used,  are  in  defiance  of  all  the  rules  of  our  language. 
'The  sweetest  man'  does  not  sound  right." 

Just  as  her  mind  reached  this  train  of  reasoning,  she 
saw  the  two  girls,  each  with  an  arm  around  the  waist  of 
the  other,  walking  on  the  lawn.  She  smiled  and  said 
audibly  :  «'  Indeed,  she  is  a  pretty  child." 

So  absorbed  had  she  been  with  her  thoughts  that  she 
had  not  observed  her  husband's  entrance  into  the  room. 
He  stood  watching  her ;  then,  glancing  over  her  shoulder, 
he  saw  the  girls  as  they  approached  the  house,  and  kiss 
ing  his  wife's  forehead,  said :  "  I  quite  agree  with  you, 
my  dear;  she  is  the  most  loving  and  the  best  child  I 
know.  I  have  noticed,  though,  that  she  is  growing  some 
what  darker." 

"  You  must  be  mistaken,"  she  replied.  "  Look  at  them 
now ;  Mary  Windom  is  the  darker  of  the  two." 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  said  Colonel  Adams;  "but  Maryisa 
pronounced  brunette,  while  our  littlegirl,"headded, after 
a  moment's  hesitation,  "was  almost  a  perfect  blonde; 
don't  you  remember?" 

"Yes,  I  do,  since  you  mention  it,  but  when  one  sees  a 
person  all  the  time,  as  I  do  our  little  Amanda,  such  a 


24  THE    MODERN   PARIAH. 

slight  change  is  overlooked.  After  all,  it  does  not 
matter." 

"I  am  greatly  troubled  about  it,"  he  replied.  "  I  love 
the  child  more  than  I  do  any  one  on  earth  except  your 
self,  and  her  happiness  is  of  supreme  importance  to  us 
both.  Now,  if  by  any  chance  the  secret  of  her  birth  is 
made  known  to  her,  she  will  be  as  miserable  as  she  is  now 
happy,  and  her  future  life  will  be  blighted." 

"Hush!"  said  Mrs.  Adams;  -'the  girls  are  coming  in 
now." 

"  I  will  conceal  myself  behind  this  curtain  and  surprise 
them,"  said  her  husband,  who,  an  hour  before  in  the 
court  house,  had  commanded  the  undivided  attention  of 
every  one  present  by  his  dignified  bearing  and  masterly 
eloquence.  He  was  not  only  a  brilliant  advocate,  but 
was  the  peer  of  any  lawyer  in  the  most  scholarly  city  of 
Connecticut.  To  be  familiar  with  Colonel  Adams  in  pub 
lic,  or  in  the  court  room,  was  to  invite  a  frigid  courtesy, 
which  soon  taught  the  presumptuous  mortal  that  famil 
iarity  with  him  was  reserved  for  the  home  circle  or  his 
few  intimate  friends.  And  yet,  in  adopting  Amanda,  he 
was  acting  in  defiance  of  the  social  ethics  of  America. 

The  door  was  thrown  open  and  the  two  girls  ran  in, 
each  one  eager  to  tell  the  news  first. 

"  Oh,  mamma,  do  let  me  go  ! "  said  Amanda. 

"Yes,  Mrs.  Adams,  do,  please,  let  Amanda  come  to 
my  birthday  pa,rty,"  said  Mary. 

"  Then  I  am  not  to  bo  consulted,  eh,  you  little  witch  ?  " 
said  Colonel  Adams,  emerging  from  his  hiding-place. 

"Oh!  here  is  papa;  now  I  know  mamma  will  let  me 
go.  May;  won't  she,  papa?  " 

In  a  moment  she  ran  to  Colonel  Adams,  who  received 
her  caresses  and  returned  them  in  kind.  Then,  taking 
a  chair,  he  said  to  his  wife,  with  mock  solemnity:  "The 
court  will  hear  what  you  have  to  say,  madame." 

"If  you  are  'the  court,'  papa,  we  want  'the  court'  to 
do  some  courting;  please  do!  Just  show  us  how  you 
made  mamma  say  'yes,'  and  make  her  s&y  it  again," 
said  Amanda,  laughing  gaily  as  she  spoke. 

"I  give  it  up."  said  Mrs.  Adams.  "I  yield,  if  your 
papa,  and  mamma  are  invited  also." 

"Why,   mamma!"    said  Amanda,    "begging  for   an- 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  25 

invitation!  Now,  I  appeal  to  your  Honor,"  she  said 
turning  to  her  father,  ;'is  it  right  for  grown  people  to 
attend  children's  parties?" 

"Certainly  you  are  invited,"  said  Mary,  "Mamma 
and  papa  will  be  delighted  to  see  you,  and  so  will  I." 

Colonel  Adams  laughed,  then  said  gravely :  "  You  have 
reason,  my  daughter,  in  urging  upon  us  the  impropriety 
of  our  being  present  at  a  '  children's  party.' " 

"You  are  too  old  to  have  a  nurse,  and  too  young  for 
a  chaperon,  called  a  'beau,'  "  said  her  mother. 

"I  see  the  point,"  said  Amanda,  quoting  an  expres 
sion  she  had  heard  her  father  use  frequently  when  con 
versing  with  his  legal  friends.  "  You  mean  that  it  is  not 
proper  for  me  to  go  to  any  party  unless  my  parents  go 
with  me." 

"Exactly,  my  child;  very  clearly  stated.  Until  you 
'come  out'  in  order  to  go  in  society,  that  should  be  the 
condition." 

"  Then  the  court  may  come,"  said  the  little  autocrat, 
"  and  my  dear,  good,  sweet  mamma  must  come  too." 

This  exhausted  the  argument,  and  Colonel  Adams  only 
noticed  the  colloquy  by  stroking  Amanda's  golden  head, 
a  form  of  caressing  to  which  he  was  much  addicted. 

At  the  party,  Amanda  proved  to  be  the  most  popular 
girl  present,  and  Charles  Windorn,  a  youth  nineteen 
years  of  age,  who  had  just  entered  his  junior  year  at 
Yale  College,  seemed  to  find  much  entertainment  in  her 
society.  She  was  his  only  sister's  most  intimate  friend, 
and  the  three  had  played  together  a,s  children,  but  now 
for  all  of  them  the  fairy  days  of  childhood  were  rapidly 
passing. 

To  the  other  girls  of  her  age,  Charles  Windom  seemed 
quite  conceited,  and  one  was  heard  to  say:  "See  how 
young-manish  Charlie  Windom  is  to-night." 

But  Amanda  seemed  incapable  of  finding  fa,ult  with 
anyone,  or  discovering  a  blemish  in  anything.  •  To  her 
the  world  was  more  beautiful  every  day  of  her  happy  ex 
istence,  and  everyone  seemed  good,  and  honest,  and 
pure.  Surely,  if  ever  there  lived  a  child  to  whom  is  applic 
able  the  expression:  "To  the  pure,  all  things  are  pure," 
it  was  this  little  orphan  who  did  not  know  that  she  was 


26  THE    MODEKN    PAUIAH. 

an  orphan;  this  little  adopted  waif  who,  in  her  inno 
cence  and  guileless  beauty,  was  the  most  beloved  of  the 
young  girls  with  whom  she  associated.  Her  associates 
were  the  children  of  the  most  cultured  people  of  New 
Haven,  for  all  the  advantages  of  wealth  and  social 
position  had  been  hers  from  her  birth.  Whatever  mis 
givings  her  foster-parents  may  have  had  as  to  the  result, 
should  the  secret  of  her  birth  be  revealed,  her  whole  life 
had  been  a  living  witness  that  they  had  no  prejudices  in 
the  matter. 

Meanwhile  many  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  house 
hold  and  circumstances  of  the  venerable  planter.  An 
antebellum  security  debt  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  caused 
Mr.  Carter  Lee,  senior,  to  go  to  his  Mississippi  plantation, 
and  lease  the  one  in  Georgia,  on  which  he  had  lived  all 
his  life.  With  his  wife  and  child,  little  Carter  Lee,  and 
one  hundred  negroes,  he  might  have  been  seen  in  Jan 
uary,  1868,  on  one  of  the  great  Mississippi  steamers  en 
route  for  "Coahoma,"  the  name  of  his  plantation  and 
village  on  the  Mississippi  river. 

In  a  few  years  he  had  cancelled  the  debt,  and  then, 
just  as  his  means  would  justify  his  returning  to  Georgia 
to  live,  he  was  stricken  with  yellow  fever  in  New  Orleans, 
and  died,  leaving  his  widow  with  an  ample  competence 
assured,  and  no  one  to  demand  her  care  except  her  boy. 
Hardly  had  her  son  attained  his  fifteenth  year  when  she 
also  was  taken  from  him,  and  he  thus  lost  the  most 
priceless  of  all  human  possessions — a  mother's  devoted 
love.  His  guardian  entered  him  as  a  student  the  next 
year  at  Princeton  College. 


V. 

It  is  a  lovely  summer  day  in  the  "  Elm  City,"  and  all 
New  Haven  seemed  interested  in  the  contest  between  the 
Yale  and  Princeton  teams.  Among  the  enthusiastic 
spectators,  each  wearing  the  insignia  of  Yale,  were  two 
beautiful  girls,  one  a  pronounced  brunette,  Miss  Mary 
Windom,  and  the  other  her  most  intimate  friend  and  a 
blonde  beauty,  Miss  Amanda  Adams;  for  the  brother  of 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  27 

one  and  the  "sweetheart"  of  the  other  was  the  Yale 
"  half-back,"  by  name  Charles  Windom.  He  was  the  son 
of  the  wealthiest  banker  in  New  Haven,  who  had  died 
two  years  previously,  leaving  his  wife  and  two  children  a 
large  fortune.  The  girls  were  both  sixteen,  and  he  a 
youth  of  twenty  years. 

At  the  opening  of  the  game,  Princeton  guarded  the 
western  goal,  their  colors  red,  while  the  Yale  colors  were 
blue.  The  Reds  formed  into  a  wedge  with  a  youthful 
looking  Freshman  at  the  apex.  Stooping  suddenly,  the 
quarter-back  touched  the  ball  to  the  ground,  then 
passed  it  on,  and  then  the  whole  team  rushed  wildly  for 
ward.  They  were  met  more  than  half  vtay  by  the  Blues, 
and  red  legs  and  blue  legs  seemed  entangled  in  inextrica 
ble  confusion,  but  the  Blues  had  gained  ten  yards,  at  the 
cost  of  their  champion,  who  went  down  in  the  crash. 
Windom  was  then  sent  in  and  gained  ten  more.  Then 
Yale,  flushed  with  victory,  attacked  Princeton's  center, 
driving  their  heads  through  the  rush-lines,  and  placed 
the  ball  to  the  five-yard  line  where  they  lost  it  to  the 
Red.s.  On  the  next  line  up,  the  Reds  gained  ten  yards  on 
a  rush  through  the  center.  Then  they  tried  a  punt,  but 
the  ball  fell  short  and  was  seized  by  Windom.  Around 
the  end  went  the  Yale  man  dodging  and  bounding,  and 
guarded  finely  by  the  long  arms  of  Winter  and  Foster. 

The  game  was  at  its  height,  and  the  bright  cheeks  of 
the  girls  glowed  with  healthful  enthusiasm  as  cries  of 
"Yale!  Yale!"  greeted  the  almost  certain  triumph  of 
the  Yale  team.  As  a  particularly  successful  stroke  was 
made  by  the  Yale  half-back,  the  two  girls  clapped  their 
hands  with  enthusiastic  pleasure,  and  seemed  eager  to 
join  the  cry  of  "Yale!  Yale!"  for  soon  these  cries  as 
cended  to  a  cheer  as  the  people  cried:  "  Windom!  'Rah 
for  Windom!  Yale!  Yale!" 

But  now  these  cries  cease,  and  necks  are  eagerly  craned 
forward  to  see  the  phenomenal  run  of  the  Princeton  half 
back  ;  for,  notwithstanding  many  attempts  of  this  half 
back  of  Des  Campe's  team,  he  had  hitherto  been  unable 
to  make  any  gains  against  the  Yale  forwards,  led  by 
Captain  Peterson.  The  Yale  men  had  scored  a  goal  from 
the  field,  and  the  time  limit  of  the  second  half  was  al 
most  reached,  No  one  thought  it  possible  for  Princeton 


28  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

to  retrieve  her  fortunes.  The  ball  was  not  far  from  the 
side  line,  and  a  trifle  in  Princeton's  territory,  when  Win- 
dom,  the  Yule  half-back,  was  called  upon  for  a  kick.  He 
punted  well  down,  inside  Princeton's  twenty-five  yard 
line,  and  Foler  advanced  to  the  ball.  It  bounded  from 
him,  and  Lee,  coming  forward  to  assist  Eoler,  gathered 
it  in  his  arms,  and  was  off  like  a  deer  down  the  field.  On, 
on  he  sped  over  the  white  lines,  outstripping  the  despair 
ing  Yalesians,  and  finally,  amid  cries  of  "Princeton! 
Princeton !  Hurrah  for  our  side ! "  he  placed  the  ball  be 
hind  the  goal-post,  and  secured  for  Princeton  a  touch 
down,  which  was  readily  converted  into  a  goal  and  a 
victory.  Cheers  greeted  the  young  victor,  and  he  was 
borne  in  triumph  on  the  shoulders  of  Des  Campe's  team, 
the  generous  crowd  silencing  their  disappointment  and 
joining  the  visiting  team  as  they  cheered:  "Hurrah  for 
Lee !  Princeton !  Princeton  forever !  "  The  two  girls  wit 
nessed  the  scene  and  heard  the  cheers  in  silence.  Finally 
Amanda  said:  " I  feel  as  if  I  could  cry,  May;  it  is  too 
bad!"  Mary  did  not  respond,  and  Amanda  was  sur 
prised  to  see  that  her  friend  had  actually  accomplished 
the  feat;  she  was  crying  with  vexation.  But  the  ap 
proach  of  their  defeated  champion  caused  them  both  to 
"brace  up,"  so  that  he  should  not  have  additional  cha 
grin  by  seeing  that  they  were  so  disappointed  as  to 
actually  cry!  "It's  a  shame,  Amanda,  but  don't  let 
brother  see  that  we  feel  it,"  said  Mary.  He  was  greeted, 
therefore,  with  smiles  instead  of  tears,  as  Amanda  said : 
"You  made  a  splendid  fight  of  it,  Mr.  Windom,  and  we 
are  more  proud  than  ever  of  Yale." 

"Glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  I'm  sure,"  said  Windom, 
"but  I  am  not.  We  had  the  game  won,  I  thought,  but 
Gad !  can't  that  Southerner  run ! " 

"  Who  is  he?"  said  both  girls  in  a  breath. 

"His  name  is  Carter  Lee,  from  somewhere  down  South, 
and  he's  a  hummer;  that's  what." 

"Do  you  know  him?"  asked  his  sister. 

"Certainly;  met  him  yesterday  at  the  club,  and  he 
is  a  capital  fellow  after  he  gets  warmed  up,  but  they 
say  he  is  proud  as  Lucifer,  and  hard  to  get  acquainted 
with." 

The  girls  exchanged  glances,  which  Windom  perceived, 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  29 

as  he  laughingly  added  :  "  Sister,  I  would  get  well  enough 
acquainted  with  him  to  invite  him  to  tea  if  you  girls  were 
'out.'" 

"Do  bring  him,  anyway,"  said  Mary. 

•'And  wha.t  do  you  say,  Miss  Amanda?" 

"  I  would  like  to  peep  through  the  window  when  you 
introduce  him  to  May ;  as  for  me,  I  am  not '  out '  yet,  and 
don't  wish  to  be  for  ever  so  long." 

"  Not  even  to  meet  the  man  who  has  gotten  the  best  of 
me?" 

"  Not  even  to  meet  the  man  who  has  gotten  the  best  of 
you,"  she  replied. 

"By  George!  I'll  see  if  I  can't  put  both  of  you  to  the 
test." 

"I  hope  you  will,"  said  his  sister,  while  Amanda  was 
discreetly  silent. 

But  Charles  Windom  did  not  carry  into  effect  his  threat 
and  the  young  Princetonian  returned  to  college  without 
having  met  either  of  the  girls. 

A  few  days  after,  Amanda  and  Charles  Windom  were 
strolling  together  under  the  classic  shades  of  the  elms 
that  meet  across  the  street  in  New  Haven.  "  It  seems  so 
strange  to  me.  Mr.  Windom,  that  you  are  not  content 
with  the  honors  you  have  won  as  a  student  at  Yale  Col 
lege.  To  have  graduated  first  in  one's  class  in  the  lead 
ing  university  of  the  country  should  satisfy  any 
American,  I  should  think." 

Charles  Windom  looked  at  the  fair  creature  at  his  side 
with  a  manner  which  implied  either  the  thought  of  pos 
session,  or  the  hope  that  such  a  result  would  follow  the 
avowal  which  he  had  made  but  one  week  before — an 
avowal  which  had  been  delicately  parried,  without  giving 
either  encouragement  or  offense. 

"Then  you  do  not  know  what  ambition  means,  Miss 
Amanda,  or  you  would  encourage  me  in  my  desire  to  fin 
ish  my  university  course  at  Oxford,  England,  or  Heidel 
berg.  What  is  life  worth,  if  we  are  not  to  seek  to  be 
leaders  of  men?" 

"And  rulers  of  women,"  suggested  Amanda. 

"No,  indeed.  The  humble  adorer  of  a  woman,  Miss 
Amanda.  I  have  no  respect  for  the  plural  in  matters  of 
love,  and  I  have  always  declared  my  allegiance." 


30  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

"Mr.  Windom,  please  do  not  allude  to  that  again;  I 
am  but  a  school  girl  yet,  and  we  are  both  too  young  to 
commit  ourselves,  and  you  know  that  nothing  on  earth 
would  tempt  me  to  consent  to  any  engagement  without 
papa's  consent  first,  and  that  you  seem  averse  to  asking 
for." 

"  Yes,  I  must  have  it,  with  or  without  his  consent," 
said  the  imperious  young  man,  who  had  just  avowed 
himself  her  "humble  adorer." 

"I  am  sorry  for  that,  and  can  only  reiterate  my  sol 
emn  protest  against  any  further  allusion  to  this  painful 
subject." 

"Then  you  do  not  love  me,  Amanda;  it  is  cruel,  I 
think,  for  you  to  exact  this  of  me." 

"  It  is  not  cruel,  it  is  right ;  I  never  concealed  anything 
from  my  parents,  and  I  never  will.  If  you  will  not  come 
in,  I  must  bid  you  good  evening,  Mr.  Windom."  They 
had  reached  the  gate  which  led  to  the  home  of  Colonel 
Adams  as  Amanda  thus  spoke.  There  was  a  witchery  in 
her  manner  which  charmed  the  youth,  in  spite  of  her  re 
fusal  to  consider  him  as  her  suitor  until  he  had  an 
nounced  his  purpose  to  her  parents.  He  lifted  his  hat  to 
bid  her  adieu.  She  extended  her  hand  to  him  and  said: 
"You  are  not  angry  with  me,  I  hope.  I  would  not 
wound  your  feelings  for  any  consideration — indeed,  I 
would  not." 

But  the  young  man  who,  but  a  moment  before,  had  de 
clared  his  wish  to  be  her  devoted  suitor,  bowed  again 
and  said:  "Good-bye,  then,  Miss  Amanda;  it  is  nil  or 
nothing  with  me." 

She  stood  at  the  gate  and  watched  his  form  until  it 
disappeared  among  the  many  who  thronged  the  street 
two  blocks  distant,  then  she  entered  her  home. 

"I  like  Charlie  Windom  exceedingly,"  she  thought, 
"but  I  am  thankful  that  I  did  not  love  him.  He  has 
many  very  noble  qualities,  but  he  little  understands  my 
character,  if  he  thinks  that  I  am  to  be  dictated  to  thus. 
He  is  a  goose!" 

In  this  state  of  mind  she  entered  the  parlor,  where  she 
found  some  visitors  who  were  awaiting  her  return.  In  a 
few  moments  she  was  gaily  chatting  with  them,  and  no 
one  would  suppose  that  there  was  a  burden  on  her  heart 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  31 

which  love  had  placed  there  in  spite  of  her  protestations 
to  the  contrary. 

"  What  a  cursed  fool  I  was !  "  said  Charles  Windora  as 
he  walked  away.  "  I  have  lost  the  loveliest  girl  on  earth 
by  my  infernal  pride  of  opinion.  God  knows  I  would 
work  my  hands  off  to  protect  and  support  her,  and  yet  I 
have  offended  her  past  all  remedy." 

Mary  Windom  lingered  after  the  other  young  ladies 
had  left,  and,  giving  way  at  last  to  her  ardent  nature, 
she  placed  her  arm  around  Amanda's'  waist  as  Amanda's 
was  placed  around  hers,  and  the  two  strolled  upon  the 
lawn  again  as  in  the  days  of  their  childhood. 

"Oh,  Amanda,  a  little  bird  has  told  me  all  about  it. 
At  least,  last  night  one  sang  at  my  window  and  seemed 
so  happy  that  I  could  well  imagine  it  to  be  rejoicing  with 
me  at  what  I  hoped  was  true.  Did  I  understand  him 
aright?" 

Amanda  blushed.  "  Of  what  are  you  speaking, 
Mary  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Of  you  and  your  future,  my  dearest,  best  friend.  Are 
you  not  engaged  to  Charlie?  I  hope  so;  you  know  I 
have  learned  to  claim  you  as  a  sister  all  my  life.  Now 
don't  let  Charlie  go  away  off  to  Europe,  but  make  him 
begin  his  life  work  here  and  now.  You  can  do  it,  and  no 
one  else  can." 

Amanda  trembled,  but  forced  herself  to  say  with 
apparent  calmness:  "You  deceive  yourself,  May;  we  are 
not  engaged,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  we  will  ever  be. 
We  are  good  friends,  that  is  all.  But,  really,  I  would  not 
check  his  ambition  if  I  were  engaged  to  be  married  to 
Mr.  Windom." 

Without  knowing  it,  Mary  withdrew  her  arm  and 
stood  silently  thinking,  as  if  perplexed  for  an  answer  to 
this  unexpected  announcement.  Then,  turning  to  her 
friend,  she  said  :  "Forgive  me,  Amanda;  if  I  had  not 
been  morally  sure  of  this  engagement  I  should  not  have 
mentioned  it.  My  brother,  unintentionally  perhaps, 
certainly  left  me  under  that  impression,  without  any  re 
quest  as  to  its  being  kept  secret.  Indeed,  I  interpreted 
his  language  and  manner  to  mean  that  he  would  like  you 
to  know  that  I  knew  of  it.  I  am  sorry  that  I  alluded  to 
it." 


32  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"You  need  not  be,  Mary,  for,  a  week  ago,  there  wan 
an  understanding  between  us  which  we  thought  might 
result  in  an  engagement.  But  it  is  better  thus;  your 
brother  is  but  twenty-one,  and  I  but  seventeen.  Surely, 
four  years  hence  we  will  both  be  wiser  and  better  fitted 
to. undertake  such  an  irrevocable  step." 

"Not  irrevocable.  I  can  prove  by  my  own  case  that 
'engagements'  are  not  irrevocable,  and  I  am  just  seven 
teen,"  laughingly  answered  Mary,  anxious  to  change  the 
subject.  • 

"It  will  be  irrevocable  with  me,"  said  Amanda,  "and 
that  is  why  we  postponed  it.  There  is  nothing  of  the 
coquette  in  my  nature;  if  I  once  give  my  love  to  a  man, 
it  is  his  forever." 

"I  guess  I  can  say  the  same  thing,  but  sometimes  we 
like  a  gentleman  so  much  that  we  think  it  is  love,  when 
some  speech  or  act  at  an  unexpected  time  shows  the  de 
ception,  and  our  lion  is  revealed  to  us  as  having  asinine 
qualities.  My  hero  must  be  perfect,  or  he  must  delude 
me  into  the  belief  that  he  is." 

"  May,  let  me  take  you  into  my  confidence  this  far :  un 
til  to-day  I  thought  your  brother  as  nearly  a  perfect 
character  as  I  had  ever  known,  and  I  still  like  him  better 
than  any  man  whom  I  have  ever  met.  But  I  have 
learned  that,  while  we  like  each  other  as  friends  and  find 
it  very  pleasant  to  be  together  as  often  as  possible,  there 
is  an  incompatibility  of  temper  which  might  widen  our 
differences  with  time,  instead  of  making  them  less  diffi 
cult  to  check.  Hence  we  have  mutually  agreed  to  remain 
two  good  friends ;  never  to  be  anything  more." 

"  Mercy  on  me !  Lovers  a  week  ago,  friends  to-day,  and 
without  a  lover's •  quarrel !  Why,  Amanda,  such  a  thing 
is  impossible.  Charlie  must  see  you  again,  and  if  he 
does,  I  will  bet  he  will  return  his  steamship  ticket  to 
Liverpool." 

"Remember,  May,  what  I  have  said  is  strictly  in  con 
fidence." 

"  Oh !  it  is  too  provoking !  "  said  Mary.  "  It  is  unkind 
to  him,  to  me,  to  you,  to  us  all,  to  prevent  my  telling 
Charlie  that  he  will  be  insane  if  he  does  not  get  on  his 
knees  and  ask  you  to  pardon  him  before  he  goes." 

Mary  said  this  half  in  earnest  and  half  impatiently, 


THE   MODEKN   PARIAH.  33 

but  was  brought  to  a  realization  of  the  situation  by 
Amanda's  answer. 

"You  would  despise  Mm,  Mary,  if  he  did  that,  and  so 
should  I." 

"Then  there  is  no  help  for  it,  and  Charlie  will  go  to 
Europe  and  waste  four  years  more  in  one  of  those  horrid 
colleges." 

"And  return  the  most  accomplished  and  scholarly 
man  in  New  Haven,  and  the  pride  of  his  friends," 
answered  Amanda. 

"I  will  tell  him  that,  at  least,"  said  Mary,  as  she 
kissed  Amanda  and  bade  her  good-bye. 

In  a  week  Charles  Windom  was  en  route  to  Liverpool. 
In  a  month  he  was  a  student  at  Queen's  College,  Oxford , 
that  most  classical  and  venerable  of  all  university 
cities. 


VI. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three,  Carter  Lee,  who  had  trav 
eled  extensively  after  his  graduation  at  Princeton,  de 
voted  his  time  to  managing  his  estate  in  Mississippi  and 
the  study  of  law  in  New  Orleans.  Without  having  dis 
tinguished  himself  as  a  scholar,  he  was  the  athlete  of  his 
•class  and  very  popular.  At  this  time  he  was  "heart 
whole  and  fancy  free,"  though  so  popular  socially  that 
roses  and  billets-doux  adorned  his  bachelor  apartments 
when  in  New  Orleans  almost  constantly.  After  having 
been  admitted  to  the  bar,  his  interests  called  him  to  his 
'Georgia  plantation,  which  he  had  not  visited  since  he 
left  it  as  a  little  child. 

When  he  reached  his  destination  after  having  spent  the 
.•autumn  months  in  Mississippi  at  Coahoma,  he  found 
that  not  one  of  his  name  lived  there.  The  old  house 
looked  deserted  and  desolate,  although  the  faithful 
•"Bob"  had  prepared  a  sleeping  room  and  the  dining 
room  as  best  he  could  for  the  reception  of  the  young 
master,  whom  he  had  not  seen  since,  as  a  child,  he 
•accompanied  his  aged  father  to  their  new  home,  "Coa 
homa,"  in  the  wilds  of  Mississippi. 

"Howdy,    Marse    Cyartcr;    howdy,    howdy,  howdy! 

M.P.-3 


34  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

'Fore  God,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  young  marster."  Such 
was  Bob's  greeting  when  he  arrived. 

"lam  glad  to  see  you,  too,  old  man;  how  is  every 
thing  prospering?" 

But  Bob  did  not  answer  for  he  had  stepped  back  a  pace 
after  grasping  Carter  Lee's  hand,  and  now  his  eyes  wan 
dered  from  head  to  feet  and  back  again  as  he  surveyed 
the  newcomer. 

"  Bress  God ! "  he  ejaculated. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  old  man?  Why  do  you  stare  at 
me  as  if  I  was  an  elephant  in  a  circus  ?  " 

"  Young  marster,  you  is  de  very  image  of  Marse 
Henry;  dat's  why  I  say  bress  de  Lord!  Marse  Henry 
was  jist  about  your  age,  and  'zactly  your  shape  and  size 
when  he  was  shot  at  de  battle  near  Franklin.  Didn't 
nobody  ever  tell  you  you  looked  lak  Marse  Henry?  " 

"  Yes,  father  used  to  say  that  he  thought  I  would 
grow  to  be  like  brother  Henry;  but,  you  know,  he 
died  over  twentv  years  ago.  What  is  your  name,  old 
man?" 

A  look  of  pain  came  into  Bob's  face  as  he  said  with  em 
barrassment  :"  Why,  young  marster,  don't  you  know 
Ma.rse  Henry's  body  servant,  Bob  ?  " 

'•Excuse  me,  Uncle  Bob,  I  didn't  mean  to  hurt  your 
feelings ;  I  know  all  about  you  now,  but  you  must  remem 
ber  that  I  was  only  five  years  old  when  I  left  this  old 
home.  Now  you  will  hurt  my  feelings  just  as  much  if  3rou 
have  forgotten  my  name." 

"  Who,  me !  forgit  little  Cyarter?  Didn't  I  used  to  tote 
you  about  on  my  shoulders,  and  let  you  ride  behind  me 
on  my  mule  to  de  field  many  en  many  a  time  way  back 
yander  when  you  Avas  so  high?  " 

With  a  grateful  smile,  Carter  extended  his  hand  and 
grasped  that  of  Bob,  saying:  "Now  I  begin  to  feel  at 
home;  I  know  I  have  got  one  good  old  friend  here.'' 

"  Bunnance  on  'em !  bunnance  on  'em,  Marse  Cyarter. 
De  last  one  uv  old  marster's  niggers  has  come  back  from 
Massissippi,  and  are  settled  about  here.  If  you  wants  to 
make  your  home  here  agin,  and  live  out  your  days  wid 
us,  we  will  see  dat  you  don' fc  perish.'' 

"I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  and  will  be  glad  to 
meet  any  of  my  father's  old  servants  who  would  like  to 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  35 

see  me,  but  I  can  only  remain  here  a  week,  and  have 
decided  to  live,  for  the  present,  in  New  York." 

"Can't  stand  free  niggers;  is  dat  what's  de  matter?" 

"  Oh, no ;  but  we  all  have  to  make  our  living  now,  you 
know,  and  I  can  do  better  there  than  here.  I  will  come  to 
see  you  all,  and  go  to  Coahoma  also  once  a  year,  or  so, 
but  had  rather  rent  the  plantations  than  to  superintend 
their  cultivation." 

"An'  you  is  right,  Marse  Cyarter.  We  ole  niggers 
knows  our  places  and  were  larned  to  work,  and  we  don't 
know  nothin'  else.  But,  bress  your  life,  dese  here  young 
niggers  what  has  had  too  much  larnin'  outen  books 
stuffed  in  'em,  dey  ain't  no  manner  o'  count!  an'  deless 
you  has  to  do  wid  'em  de  better  off  you  gwine  to  be! " 

Carter  laughed  at  this  wise  speech,  and  proceeded  to 
enter  the  house,  Bob  following  with  his  valise.  But  the 
latter  stopped  a  moment  to  cry  out :  "Come  here,Calline; 
come  here  and  fetch  de  chilluns  wid  you  to  see  young 
marster." 

This  was  superfluous,  however,  for  his  wife,  Caroline, 
had  already  preceded  him  to  the  house  and  with  neat 
apron  and  the  traditional  courtesy  stood  in  the  hall 
and  respectfully  welcomed  him.  The  supper  was  all  that 
the  young  master  of  the  five  thousand  acres  em 
braced  in  this  plantation  could  have  asked  for,  and  the 
logs  in  the  wide  hearth  of  the  old-fashioned  homestead 
burned  with  a  bright  glare  that  wintry  night  for  Car 
ter  Lee  had  not  come  to  his  Georgia  property  during  the 
summer  or  autumn  months,  the  more  important  crops 
and  enterprises  on  his  Coahoma  place  having  demanded 
all  the  time  not  given  to  hunting  in  the  magnificent  for 
est  which  skirts  the  Mississippi  river.  Barring  a  few  short 
pleasure  trips  to  New  Orleans  and  Memphis,  Carter  Lee 
had  developed  a  taste  and  aptitude  for  the  pleasures  of 
the  chase  which  would  have  pleased  his  college  friends  not 
a  little.  He  felt  no  attachment,  however,  to  the  locality 
itself,  except  as  the  source  from  which  he  derived  his 
income. 

Thus  is  the  change  from  the  Old  South  to  the  New 
South,  so  far  as  plantation  life  is  concerned,  and  thus  it 
seemed  to  Carter  Lee,  as  he  gave  himself  up  to  medita 
tion  that  night.  "  What  shall  1  do  with  it  all?"  asked 


36  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

this  young  master  of  this  old  Georgia  home  that  was 
going  to  decay  as  fast  as  "  free  niggers  " — as  Bob,  with  a 
tone  of  contempt,  had  called  the  rising  generation  of 
Afro-Americans  in  and  about  that  bailiwick — would 
permit. 

Thoughts  flashed  in  his  brain  without  utterance,  and 
among  them,  as  the  most  fitting  description  of  his  in 
herited  plantation  "  home"  were  the  words  so  frequently 
used,  "innocuous  desuetude" — harmless  disuse.  "But 
is  it  harmless?  "  he  asked  himself,  as  the  fire  burned  low 
and  he  sat  alone  in  his  father's  bedchamber  reflecting 
upon  the  past.  Where  are  those  tall  Lombardy  poplars 
that  guarded  yonder  long  and  wide  approach  to  the  old 
mansion?  And  where  the  closely  trimmed  hedges  that 
bordered  the  fifteen  miles  of  roads,  that  were  as  carefully 
kept  in  the  "barbarous  days  of  slavery"  as  were  the 
famous  "  turnpikes  "  in  Kentucky,  or  the  average  road 
in  England?  And  where  the  acres  of  roses  and  other 
flowering  plants  that  adorned  the  grounds  around  the 
old  homestead?  Oppressed  by  these  thoughts,  the 
young  man  arose,  and  going  to  the  window,  looked 
forth.  Ruin,  ruin  and  decay  seemed  omnipresent. 
Turning,  his  eye  caught  sight  of  his  father's  old  bell  on 
the  huge  mantlepiece,  which  was  covered  with  dust  from 
disuse.  He  remembered  then  how  imperious  the  old 
gentleman  was,  and  how  quickly  the  identical  "  Bob  " 
had  responded  to  his  master's  summons  when  he  rang 
that  bell.  Prompted  partly  by  mischief,  partly  by  a 
desire  to  test  the  sincerity  of  Bob's  professions  of  fidel 
ity,  the  young  man  seized  the  bell  and  rang  it  as  nearly 
like  he  had  seen  his  father  do  when  he  was  a  little 
child  as  he  could. 

"Good  God!  Calline,  old  marster's  a-ringing  dat  bell 
agin.  He'p  me  on  wid  dese  close.  Dar 'tis  agin !"  And 
Bob  leaped  from  bed,  his  spouse  meanwhile  being  amused 
at  his  nightmare.  She  was  a  child  when  Carter  Lee, 
senior,  left  Georgia  for  his  Mississippi  home,  and  knew 
but  little  of  the  characteristics  of  her  former  master.  She 
knew  Bob,  though,  and  she  was  laughing  in  her  sleeves, 
so  to  speak,  when  she  heard  him  abusing  the  "wuffle.-s 
free  niggers"  to  ''young  Marse  Cyarter,"  as  he  called 
Carter  Lee.  She  frequently  asserted  that  Bob  was  as  lazy 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  37 

and  self-indulgent  as  any  of  them.  Again  the  old  bell 
sounded  and  echoed  through  the  wide  hall  and  tenantless 
chambers,  until  Bob  rushed  in  at  the  front  door  and 
stood  at  the  door  of  "old  marster's  room,"  as  Carter 
remembered  his  father's  room  had  been  called  by  the 
servants,  and  said  humbly  :  "  Yas,  sir!  yas,  sir,  marster; 
here  I  is,  sir." 

Carter  had  heard  him  coming  up  the  steps  and,  trying 
his  best  to  subdue  his  inclination  to  laugh,  had  thrown 
himself  in  the  chair  before  the  fireplace  and  seemed  deep 
in  thought.  Turning  his  head  deliberately, he  said  to  his 
servitor  as  carelessly  as  he  could : 

"  Have  you  forgotten  your  training  that  you  leave  me 
here  without  water,  or  wood  to  keep  up  the  fire  with?  Do 
you  expect  me  to  bring  fresh  water,  before  I  go  to  bed  ?  " 

Bob  stood  for  a  moment  as  if  he  had  not  heard  aword, 
staring  at  Carter  Lee  as  if  he  was  a  ghost.  For  Carter's 
voice,  eyes  and  expression  at  that  moment  recalled  Henry 
Lee  vividly  to  Bob's  mind.  But  the  spell  was  broken  and 
Bob  was  brought  to  his  senses  by  the  merry  peal  which 
greeted  him,  as  Carter  Lee,  unable  longer  to  control  his 
risibles,  gave  utterance  to  laughter. 

Bob  immediately  said  :  "  'Scuse  me,  young  marster,  but 
I  was  sound  asleep,  and  when  dat  bell  rung  I  dreamed  hit 
was  ole  marster  a-callin'  me,  fur  hit  ain't  been  rung  afore 
sence  his  time." 

"From  its  looks, covered  over  with  dust  as  it  was  when 
I  saw  it,  I  should  say  it  has  not  been  rung  for  a  century," 
said  the  young  man. 

"Bob,  you  don't  believe  in  ghosts,  do  you?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  does!"  said  Bob,  emphatically.  "'Cause 
why — ain'  1 1  heerd  ole  marster  a-callin'  me  in  de  night 
many  en  many  a  time?  An'  ain't  I  heerd  Marse  Henry 
talkin'  to  me  jist  like  he  used  to  do  when  him  and  me 
was  in  de  army  together?  An'  ain't  I  done  heerd  Mandy 
a-callin'  fur  her  child,  an' a  sayin'  dat  somethin'  dreadful 
would  happen  to  her  ef  she  couldn't  find  her?  An'  ain't 
I  done  seed  you,  Marse  Cyarter,  and  seed  Marse  Henry 
over  agin  in  seein'  you?  " 

"Stop  a  minute,  Bob.  Who  is  this  'Mandy'  you  are 
talking  about?" 

"  Ain't  you  done  heerd  tell  about  Mandy  yit  ?  " 


38  THE    MODERN   PARIAH. 

"NeArer;  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  any  one  named 
Mandy.  Who  was  she?" 

"An'  ain't  you  never  heerd  tell  of  mammy — my  ole 
mammy — what  lived  in  Atlanta  when  Mandy  was 
born?" 

"Never.  You  know,  Bob,  I  was  an  infant  when  the 
war  began." 

"Yes,  dat's  de  God's  trufe;  but  I  keep  a  forgitten  dat 
you  ain't  as  old  as  Marse  Henry,  when  Marse  Henry  was 
old  enough  to  be  your  father." 

"  Yes,  brother  Henry  died  when  he  was  twenty-three, 
and  that  is  nearly  my  age  now." 

"To  be  shore,  to  be  shore!  "  said  Bob  looking  at  Car 
ter  intently  again. 

"  But  what  about  Mandy,  Bob?  " 

"Dat's  what  I  can't  tell  you,  Marse  Cyarter,  ef  you  has 
never  heerd  tell  of  her.  Marse  Henry  won't  like  for  me 
to  be  tellin'  an'  1  ain't  gwine  to  do  nothin'  what  I  know 
he  don't  want  me  to.  I  ain't  a  sassin'  you,  Marse  Cyar 
ter.  You  are  too  much  like  Marse  Henry  fur  dat — but  I 
jist  can't  say  nothin'  more  about  Mandy."  And  with 
that  speech  Bob  went  out  to  bring  in  the  water  arid 
wood,  and,  very  humbly,  offered  to  take  off.  Carter's 
shoes. 

"Good  night,  now,  Bob;  I  am  sorry  I  waked  you  up 
and  hope  you  will  have  pleasant  dreams  the  rest  of  the 
night." 

Alone  thus  in  the  great  old  house,  with  the  wintn- 
winds  sounding  without,  Carter  Lee  gave  himself  up  to 
reflections.  His  mind,  with  that  wonderful  capacity  of 
the  human  intellect  to  traverse  space  and  time  with  the 
rapidity  of  the  lightning's  flash,  bore  him  swiftly  bark 
to  his  childhood  days.  In  his  mind's  eye  he  saw  again 
his  aged  father,  a  courtly  "gentleman  of  the  old  school," 
and  his  mother,  and  all  her  tender  love  for  him,  her  only 
child.  And  with  such  thoughts  he  went  to  sleep. 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  39 


VII. 

The  vigorous  young  master  of  this  Georgia  plantation 
awoke  the  next  morning  fully  refreshed  in  mind  and 
body.  Scarcely  had  he  finished  his  breakfast  when  Bob 
appeared  at  the  library  door,  where  he  had  gone,  partly 
to  inspect  the  dust-covered  tomes  deposited  there,  and 
partly  to  enjoy  his  post-prandial  cigar.  The  scene  which 
greeted  Lee  from  the  open  window  of  the  library  of  this 
Georgia  plantation  home,  with  the  broad  river  rushing 
along  the  rapids  in  mid-stream,  the  great  forest  on  the 
opposite  side,  and  the  well  tilled  field  near  by,  but  below 
the  eminence  on  which  the  old  homestead  stood,  de 
lighted  him,  despite  the  ruined  look  of  the  buildings,  and 
evinced  that  the  elder  Carter  Lee  was  not  deficient  in 
appreciation  of  the  beautiful  landscape. 

A  train  of  pleasant  thoughts  brightened  the  reveries 
of  this  young  bachelor  as  he  peopled  the  house  and 
grounds  with  imaginary  guests,  while  an  imaginary 
Mary  presided  over  a  modernized  establishment.  Had 
he  been  possessed  of  millions,  this  day  dream  could  not 
have  been  more  magnificent  in  its  conception.  His  life 
had  been  chiefly  passed  away  from  the  South,  and  only 
by  his  childhood's  recollections  and  hereditary  traits 
was  his  opinion  of,  and  manner  to,  his  father's  former 
slaves  guided.  So  that  each  day  had  for  him  some  new 
experience,  and  he  felt  that  he  was  as  free  from  prejudice 
as  the  son  of  a  slaveholder  could  possibly  be.  His  man 
ner  was  natural  and  simple,  and  he  readily  adapted  him 
self  to  the  ways  and  habits  of  the  negro  servants  who,  he 
thought,  were  born  his  inferiors  and  would  die  thus. 

"The  bishop — Bishop  Hunter — young  marster,"  said 
Bob,  throwing  open  the  door  as  he  spoke. 

The  sound  of  Bob's  voice  would  have  dissipated  the 
air-castles  which  he  had  been  building  anj^way,  but  the 
picture  now  presented  to  him  astonished  him  beyond 
measure,  and,  for  once,  he  was  disconcerted.  His  hesita 
tion  was  noted  by  the  newcomer,  who,  hat  in  hand,  ad 
vanced  and  extended  his  hand,  saying  :  "I  am  glad  to 
meet  you,  young  master;  you  resemble  your  brother 


40  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

Henry  very  much,  and  I  think  I  can  see  a  resemblance  to 
your  father,  whose  memory  we  all  revere."  This  was 
said  with  perfect  grammar,  proper  pronunciation,  and  a 
dignity  rarely  found  among  the  recently  enfranchised 
race.  The  speaker  was  a  man  of  fifty-six  years — a  black 
man,  with  a  large  and  well  proportioned  frame,  and  a 
head  that  seemed  to  Carter  Lee  to  be  abnormally  large. 

What  he  might  have  done  had  he  not  seen  Bob's  grin 
ning  face  at  the  door  is  not  known,  but  this  restored  his 
natural  ease  of  manner,  and  he  accepted  the  hand  of  "  the 
bishop,"  saying  to  Bob  :  "  Bob,  you  can  retire  to  the 
kitchen  until  you  learn  better  manners." 

"Yassir,  yassir!"  said  Bob,  immediately  complying 
with  this  order,  while  his  whole  demeanor  changed  to 
that  of  the  humble  servant  of  yore.  As  soon  as  Bob  was 
out  of  the  room,  Carter  Lee,  with  a  manner  that  was  re- 
pectful,  yet  familiar,  and  involving  that  subtle  racial 
distinction  expressed  in  the  words,  ' 'thus  far  shaltthou 
come,  but  no  farther,"  said :  <'  To  what  am  I  indebted  for 
your  visit,  bishop — what  can  I  do  for  you?  " 

The  bishop  smiled,  and  with  equal  ease,  answered :  "  To 
my  natural  desire  to  see  the  son  of  my  best  friend,  our 
old  master,  now  in  his  grave.  You  can  do  nothing  for  me 
individually,  for  I  have  been  signally  blessed,  but  you 
may  do  much  for  my  people,  many  of  whom  were  your 
father's  slaves,  and  all  of  whom  revere  his  memory." 

This  was  altogether  a  new  experience  to  the  young  gen 
tleman,  who,  judging  all  colored  people  of  African  de- 
scentfromthe  Congo  negroes  on  his Coahoma plantation, 
supposed  that  they  were  all  ignorant  dependents.  But 
here  stood  before  him  a  man  who  would  command  atten 
tion  anywhere — a  man  whom  he  recognized  as  hia  intel 
lectual,  but  not  his  social  equal — and,  involuntarily,  he 
said  :  "  Thank  you,  take  a  chair ;  I  will  be  pleased  to  aid 
you  in  any  way  that  I  can.  Will  you  have  a  cigar  ?  "  To 
his  surprise  the  bishop  accepted  both. 

Carter  Lee  regretted  having  offered  the  cigar  the  mo 
ment  after  he  had  done  so,  but  it  was  too  late  to  withdraw 
it,  and  the  bishop  said :  "  If  you  do  not  object  I  will  lock 
the  door,  for  it  is  not  well  for  any  of  the  servants  to  see 
me  seated  in  your  presence  and  conversing  as  if  we  were 
(socially  equals." 


THE    MODERN    PAHIAH.  41 

Lee  smiled  as  the  bishop,  suiting  his  action  to  his 
words,  locked  the  door  and  then  resumed  his  seat.  His 
thoughts  were  of  what  his  father  would  think  if  he  could 
see  him  thus  familiarly  conversing  with  his  former  slave, 
who  had,  by  sheer  force  of  intellect,  educated  himself  and 
become  one  of  the  acknowledged  leaders  of  his  race.  But 
curiosity  got  the  better  of  preconceived  opinions  of  his 
own  importance,  and  he  decided  to  let  matters  take  their 
course.  "  You  do  not  consider  the  negro  the  equal  of  the 
white  man,  then?"  suggested  Carter  Lee,  as  the  bishop 
resumed  his  seat. 

"No,  sir;  no  more  than  I  consider  all  white  men  equal 
to  each  other.  There  is  no  more  absurd  statement  than 
that  one  of  Mr.  Jefferson  in  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  'All  men  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and 
equal.'  All  men  should  be  free,  except  when,  in  God's 
providence,  they  shall  have  been  prepared  for  freedom 
through  the  instrumentality  of  slavery  to  their  superiors 
in  civilization.  Slavery  has  prepared  us  to  civilize 
Africa." 

"  Do  you  favor  all  the  colored  people  leaving  this 
country?" 

"  Oh,  no ;  not  by  any  means.  Thousands  of  us  are  not 
prepared  to  go  anywhere.  There  are  many  thousands  of 
Congo  negroes  and  their  descendants  in  this  country ; 
they  are  the  most  inferior  of  all  African  tribes.  They 
ought  to  remain  here  for  a  hundred  years  to  come.  It 
will  take  about  that  time  to  enable  them  to  fully  appre 
ciate  the  blessings  of  civilization;  but  they  could  have 
never  reached  that  evolutionary  plane  as  slaves.  God 
knew  when  that  portion  of  us  were  freed, in  common  with 
the  higher  type  of  the  negro,  that  it  was  necessary  for  us 
to  pass  through  the  crucible  incident  to  freedom.  You 
white  people,  generally,  believe  that  all  negroes  are  alike, 
but  there  is  as  much  difference  between  them  as  there  is 
between  the  white  races.  I  believe  that  slavery  was  a 
providential  institution;  that  the  negro  was  allowed  to 
become  your  slave  and  to  be  thrown  in  contact  with  the 
whites  of  this  progressive  nation  for  the  purpose  of  im 
bibing  its  civilization  and  Christianity,  ultimately  to  re 
turn  in  such  sufficient  numbers  as  to  rescue  the  millions 
pf  our  race  in  our  fatherland  from  heathen  darkness. 


42  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

And  to  accomplish  this  gigantic  work  through  a  few 
missionary  agents  would  delay  the  grand  results  for  a 
thousand  years !  Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  char 
acteristics  of  the  negro  will  readity  understand  that  he 
needs  example,  and  that  is  God's  mode  of  giving  it  to 
him." 

"  Who  do  you  regard  as  the  best  friends  of  the  negro, 
the  Northern  white  people  or  the  Southern  ?" 

"  Well,  we  have  white  friends  and  some  enemies  in  both 
sections;  I  would  not  attempt  a  comparison.  If  I  did,  I 
might  say  politically  we  have  more  friends  in  the  North, 
but  in  point  of  business,  giving  employment  in  every 
phase  of  industry  and  encouragement  in  procuring  a 
subsistence,  I  should  say  the  South.  I  mean,  in  plain 
language,  that  I  know  of  no  occupation  that  the  negro 
in  the  South  is  capable  of  performing  that  he  cannot  find 
employment  at,  except  to  drive  a  railroad  locomotive 
and  a  few  things  of  that  sort.  But  I  am  no  great  ad 
mirer  of  white  friends,  anyway,  unless  that  friendship  is 
founded  squarely  upon  general  philanthropy.  I  want  no 
white  man  to  love  me  or  my  race  any  more  than  he  does 
the  Indian,  the  Chinaman,  or  the  Laplander.  All  I  want 
is  the  respect  of  a  man,  and  I  think  that  is  all  my  race 
wants." 

"  Don't  you  believe  that  the  blacks  and  the  whites  can 
live  peaceably  together." 

"  Oh,  yes;  they  could  do  it,  but  are  they  going  to  do 
it 7  Have  any  two  distinct  races  ever  lived  peacea.bly 
under  similar  conditions?  You  white  people  will  not  live 
with  any  race  unless  you  are,  in  every  particular,  mas 
ters  of  the  situation.  I  see  that  it  is  a  foregone  conclu 
sion  that  you  propose  to  treat  the  negro  both  in  the 
North  and  South  as  an  alien  race,  and  I  know  from  my 
personal  knowledge,  that  the  educated  negro  does  not  in 
tend  to  be  satisfied  with  such  treatment.  I  believe  the 
hand  of  God  is  in  it.  Antagonisms  are  destined  to  work 
out  grand  and  glorious  results,  provided  the  blacks  and 
whites  will  both  put  themselves  in  harmony  with  the 
plans  of  the  Almighty." 

"  You  mean  emigration,  I  suppose.  If  your  people 
were  to  emigrate,  could  they  provide  for  themselves  and 
perpetuate  their  existence. " 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  43 

"Of  course;  why  not?  We  have  a  far  higher  civiliza 
tion  than  you  white  people  had  a  thousand  years  ago. 
Yes,  five  hundred  years  ago — in  many  respects  two  hun 
dred  years  ago — for  we  would  not  burn  our  old  ugly  wo 
men  as  witches.  We  have  too  much  ancestral  veneration. 
The  negro,  in  the  aggregate,  will  work,  and  loves  to 
work.  Why,  even  in  slave  times,!  can  remember  well  hun 
dreds  of  masters  who  would  not  have  a  white  overseer  on 
their  place,  and  they  would  not  put  a  foot  on  their  plan 
tations  for  two  or  three  months  at  a  time.  Yet  their 
colored  people  without  the  sight  of  a  white  face,  raised 
the  finest  crops  for  their  masters  in  the  world.  Now,  if 
the  negro,  as  a  slave,  without  any  hope  of  reward,  would 
remain  by  hundreds  on  the  old  plantation  and  work, 
take  care  of  the  horses,  mules,  cows,  raise  hogs  and 
sheep  and  poultry  and  collect  the  eggs  by  thousands, 
and  send  them  to  'the  big  house,'  as  it  was  called,  with 
milk  and  butter,  and  all  the  necessaries  of  life,  without 
the  presence  of  a  white  face,  how  could  any  one  presume 
that  he  would  not  take  care  of  himself  ?  Besides,  look 
how  he  has  lived  and  thrived  since  the  war,  without  a 
foot  of  land  in  many  instances,  or  a  cent.  The  truth  is, 
the  negro  cnn  live  anywhere;  for  that  matter  he  can  beat 
the  world  living !  Put  the  white  people  in  the  same  con 
dition  under  which  the  negro  has  lived  and  thrived  and 
he  will  die  ten  to  one !  But  I  wish  to  talk  to  you  about 
our  emigration  scheme." 

"  Do  you  intend  to  go  to  Africa?  " 

"Yes,  sir.  I  am  going  on  a  visit  next  year,  if  I 
am  spared,  and  can  make  financial  ends  meet,  and 
that  is  why  I  wished  to  meet  and  talk  with  you. 
I  hope  to  make  some  observations  in  my  lecture 
tour  through  the  North  this  season  which,  I  trust, 
will  be  of  much  practical  benefit,  touching  the  variety  of 
the  African  tribes  or  races.  I  want  to  show  the  people 
that  the  negro  tribes  are  as  different  in  their  make-up  as 
the  white  tribes  were  in  ancient  days ;  even  if  negroes  are 
all  black.  In  other  words,  that  the  Mandingo,  Krew, 
Vey,  Gaulish,  Bassa,  Housa,  Guinea,  Ebo,  loloff  and 
Congo  tribes,  from  which  the  black  people  of  the  United 
States  came,  are  as  distinct  in  their  characteristics 
and  mechanism  as  the  Englishmen  and  Italians.  I  have 


44  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

heard  white  people  say,  when  you  see  one  negro  you  see 
all.  Such  language  is  a  jargon  of  nonsense,  and  adver 
tises  the  ignorance  of  the  man  using  it.  The  race  distinc 
tions  between  the  blacks  are  as  manifest  as  they  ever  were 
among  the  whites — the  Mandingo,  Krew  and  Vey  negroes 
are  as  far  above  the  thick-lipped  Ebo  and  broad,  oval 
mouthed  Congo,  as  the  Frenchman  is  above  the  Russian 
Jew. 

"Now,  I  have  been  invited  by  the  Young  Men's  Chris 
tian  Association,  of  New  Haven,  to  lecture  there  some 
time  this  year,  and  I  would  like  to  have  you  present,  so 
that  I  can  refer  to  you.  It  will  aid  me,  because  it  will 
show  the  good  will  which  exists  between  the  races  here 
when  the  demagogues  let  them  alone." 

"  But,"  said  Carter, curious  to  hear  more,  "the  negroes 
have  been  taught  that  Africa  is  the  most  unhealthy  coun 
try  in  the  world." 

"Yes,  the  fool  negro  thinks  it  certain  death  to  set 
foot  upon  Africa;  whereas,  in  fact,  after  you  get  back 
into  the  interior,  there  are  vast  regions  of  territory, 
where  it  is  so  healthy  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to 
see  men  and  women  from  a  hundred  and  ten  to  a  hundred 
and  thirty  years  of  age.  But,  then,  look  at  the  wealth 
of  Africa ;  everything  is  in  Africa  that  the  human  mind 
can  conceive  of.  It  is  the  only  continent  under  heaven 
in  which  you  could  find  all  the  necessary  materials  to 
build  the  New  Jerusalem  described  in  the  book  of  Reve 
lations.  I  know  more  about  the  negro  than  any  white 
man  in  the  nation.  I  have  been  a  negro  myself  for  fifty- 
six  years,  and  have  mingled  with  them  in  every  form  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific." 

Just  as  the  bishop  concluded  this  sentence,  there  was  a 
knock  at  the  door,  and  the  confused  sounds  of  many  voices 
reached  their  ears.  The  bishop  threw  his  cigar  in  the  fire 
and  was  about  to  go  to  the  door  when  Lee  detained  him : 

"Wait  a  moment,"  he  said;  "you  have  told  me  that 
you  formerly  belonged  to  my  father ;  what  did  you  do  as 
a  slave?" 

*'  My  work  was  chiefly  in  this  room ;  as  a  boy  and  a 
youth,  I  was  taught  to  do  all  that  is  required  of  a  but 
ler.  I  have  been  the  guest  of  many  rich  men  at  the 
North — at  the  clubs  and  restaurants,  I  mean,  not  in  their 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  45 

homes,  for  a  colored  man  is  as  obnoxious  to  them  as  a 
social  guest  as  he  can  possibly  be  here  in  the  South.  I 
was  going  to  say,  that  I  have  met  no  one — not  even 
Senator  Sumner  of  Massachusetts,  whose  manner  was 
as  stately  and  gracious  as  your  father's." 

Ignoring  this  compliment  to  his  father,  Lee  asked : 

"  How  did  you  educate  yourself?  " 

"Your  mother,  'old  mistress,'  as  we  used  to  call  her, 
taught  me  to  read  and  to  write.  At  the  same  time  she 
taught  her  maid,  Amanda,  also." 

Atthis  moment  the  knocking  was  renewed,  and  "Bishop 
Hunter"  seemed  immediately  transformed  into  a  servant 
again.  Opening  the  door  quietly,  and  closing  it  behind 
him,  he  asked  Bob  who  stood  without:  "Robert,  what 
does  this  noise  mean?  Don't  you  know  young  master 
don't  wish  to  be  disturbed  by  such  unseemly  rudeness?" 

"I  knows  it;  in  course  I  knows  it ;  but  I  can't  hep  it! 
dese  here  niggers  got  de  word  last  night,  an'  dey  is  jist 
bound  to  see  Marse  Cyarter  afore  he  leaves." 

Carter  had  heard  this  colloquy,  and  tried  to  compose 
his  thoughts  and  features.  A  knock  at  the  door  such  as 
experienced  servants  give  in  the  South,  indicated  that  the 
bishop  had  assumed  that  role.  And,  indeed,  no  one  could 
have  done  it  better  in  the  White  House  of  the  Nation. 
The  bishop  had  discarded,  for  the  time  being,  all  thoughts 
of  his  high  office,  of  his  noble  aspirations  for  his  race,  of 
his  wonderful  success,  and  stood  before  Carter  Lee,  the 
typical  servant  of  the  best  type.  Again  he  used  the 
negro  vernacular,  and  lead  the  old  servants,  one  by  one, 
the  oldest  taking  precedence,  to  see  his  old  master's  son 
and  heir.  The  influence  of  habit  and  example  was  never 
more  forcibly  shown,  for,  as  soon  as  the  negroes  saw  that 
the  noted  "Bishop  Hunter"  treated  this  young  man  as 
he  had  treated  his  old  master,  each  man  as  he  entered 
the  door  dropped  his  hat  on  the  floor  of  the  hall,  and 
greeted  Carter  as  if  he  was  still  their  young  master. 

And  never  were  slaves  greeted  with  more  kindly  in 
quiries  concerning  their  wants,  and  their  families  than 
were  these  freedmen;  and  during  it  all  "  Bishop  Hunter" 
stood  quietly  by,  like  a  well-trained  and  faithful  servant, 
while  his  benevolent  face  glowed  with  satisfaction  as  he 
saw  the  result  of  his  experiment.  Had  his  manner  been 


46  THE  MODERN  PARIAH. 

different,  theirs  would  have  also  been  different,  and 
Carter  Lee  would  not  have  left  "the  old  plantation"  a 
changed  man  in  all  his  ideas  as  to  the  negro,  the  slave, 
and  the  freednaan.  As  it  was,  he  decided  to  take  advant 
age  of  the  excuse  thus  offered  to  visit  New  Haven  again. 
He  was  much  interested  in  what  this  negro  bishop  had 
said,  and  wondered  how  he  had  acquired  information  of 
which  he  was  himself  ignorant.  He  did  not  know  that 
Bishop  Hunter  had  returned  the  year  before  from  Liberia, 
where  he  had  gone  as  the  accredited  representative  of  the 
United  States,  to  that  benighted  Republic. 

"Wonderful!  wonderful!"  he  exclaimed,  when  he  did 
learn  of  it  through  the  newspapers.  "Wonderful!  a 
slave  in  1865 ;  a  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United 
States  in  1886  ! " 


VIII. 

Mr.  Arthur  DeBrosses,  President  of  the Trust 

Company,  had  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  lawyers 
in  New  York  City  previous  to  his  retirement  from  profes 
sional  practice.  He  had  reluctantly  accepted  the  presi 
dency  of  the  trust  company,  which  was  offered  him, 
partly  because  of  his  record  as  a  Trustee,  and  partly 
because  of  the  legal  complications  arising  from  the 
extension  of  the  trans-continental  railway  systems. 

Carter  Lee,  on  his  first  arrival  in  New  York  City,  had 
presented  to  this  old  gentleman  a  letter  of  introduction 
from  his  former  guardian,  stating  that  he  was  a  son  of 
that  Carter  Lee  who  had  been  a  friend  and  classmate  of 
Mr.  DeBrosses  at  Princeton  University.  A  warm  friend 
ship  had  been  formed  between  the  two  in  their  university 
days,  before  war  had  desolated  the  South  and  es 
tranged  the  two  sections;  before  immigration  had  made 
the  American  subordinate  to  the  foreign  element  in  a 
large  part  of  the  country,  and  the  pride  of  the  citizen, 
North  and  South,  was  that  he  was  an  American  citizen. 
That  war  had  impoverished  the  richer  of  the  two  friends, 
and  had  made  a  millionaire  of  the  other;  but  it  had  left 
in  the  hearts  of  each  the  warmest  sympathy  and  friend 
ship  for  the  other. 


THE  MODERN  PARIAH.  47 

Lee  was  most  cordially  greeted  by  Mr.  DeBrosses,  and, 
as  the  son  of  one  of  his  earliest  friends,  was  invited  to 
his  house.  Lee  dined  there  the  next  day,  and  the  ac 
quaintance,  thus  begun  a  year  before,  had  ripened  into  a 
warm  friendship.  Mr.  De  Brosses,  though  a  cordial 
friend  to  Lee  in  social  life,  was  a  staunch  Republican  in 
politics,  and  gave  the  young  Southerner  many  hard  ar 
gumentative  raps  whenever  the  subject  of  politics  was 
broached. 

Lee  was  charmed  with  his  handsome  daughter,  whom 
he  found  a  sympathetic  listener.  She  even  dared  occa 
sionally  to  champion  his  side  when  he  differed  with  her 
father  in  conversation,  and,  thus,  their  friendship  was 
cemented  and  Lee  found  her  home  the  most  agreeable 
one  to  visit  in  the  city.  One  evening,  after  dinner,  the 
old  gentleman  took  the  liberty  of  advising  the  young 
man  as  to  his  future.  "Success  all  depends  on  whether 
you  have  common  sense  enough  to  forget,  or  overcome, 
your  prejudices,  and  have  energy  to  back  your  common 
sense,"  said  he. 

"I  supposed  it  depended  rather  on  uncommon  sense; 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  requires  ability  beyond  the  com 
mon  herd  to  win  success  among  the  two  millions  of 
people  in  this  city  and  Brooklyn,"  replied  Lee. 

44  So  it  does ;  but  it  takes  a  deal  of  common  sense  to 
become  uncommonly  successful.  Neither  Commodore 
Handbill, nor  your  friend  old  Billy  Outlaw,  of  the  Cotton 
Exchange,  speak  grammatically,  and  I  doubt  whether 
either  of  them  can  write  good  English,  but  no  one 
doubts  their  great  abilities.  They  may  be  said  to  pos 
sess  uncommon  common  sense." 

"  What  is  your  definition,  then,  of  common  sense?  " 

"The  knowledge  of  men  and  things — the  ability  to 
grasp  the  situation  comprehensively — to  take  the  tide  at 
the  right  moment." 

"That  applies  to  speculation  chiefly,  doesn't  it?" 

"Not  at  all;  or,  rather,  not  more  than  to  any  other 
mode  of  making  a  living.  What  is  the  use  of  a  knowl 
edge  of  Sanscrit,  or  of  the  sciences,  if  a  man  is  to  fritter 
away  his  time  as  a  waiter.  " 

"  I  don't  understand  that  allusion  ;  I  never  heard  of  a 
scholar  who  chose  to  do  menial  service." 


48  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

'•You  have  not  traveled  in  New  England  in  sum 
mer,  then.  Many  Harvard  and  Yale  students  may  be 
seen  acting  as  waiters  at  the  summer  resorts.  Such  men 
may  be  <  crammed '  with  book  knowledge,  yet  they  mani 
festly  lack  common  sense." 

"1  agree  with  you,  sir;  I  don't  see  how  any  manly 
man — any  gentleman — can  choose  such  a  vocation,"  said 
Lee. 

Miss  DeBrosses  showed  by  her  approving  smile  that  he 
had  accurately  expressed  her  ideas  on  that  subject. 

"  But  is  it  a  fact?  "  enquired  Lee. 

"Certainly;  spend  a  part  of  your  vacation  there  and 
you  will  see  it  done;  and  accepted,  too,  quite  as  a  matter 
of  course." 

"Imagine  yourself  a  Harvard  Senior,  Mr.  Lee,  and 
that,  during  vacation,  you  accept  the  position  of  waiter 
— or,  if  you  are  ambitious,  of  head-waiter,  say.  Imagine, 
also,  that  the  sister  of  your  most  intimate  friend  arrives, 
and  it  becomes  your  duty  to  show  her  to  a  seat  at  the 
breakfast  or  dinner  table — wouldn't  you  feel  a  little 
embarrassed?"  remarked  Miss  De  Brosses. 

"  You  tax  my  imaginative  faculties  too  much ;  I  cannot 
imagine  myself  as  occupying  any  menial  position." 

"Neither  can  I,"  she  said,  with  a  look  that  gratified 
his  vanity. 

"And  if  I  did  so  far  forget  my  self-re.«pect,"  he  resumed ; 
"I  should  expect  all  gentlemen  to  refuse  to  receive  me  as 
a  social  equal." 

"  That  is  my  view  of  it,  too,"  she  said. 

"  If  you  would  get  along  here,  my  young  friend,"  said 
Mr.  De  Brosses  ;  "you  must  overcome  some  ideas  that 
may  be  as  objectionable  here  as  that  New  England  cus 
tom  would  be  to  the  Southern  people.  You  must  learn 
to  be  national,  not  sectional.  Forget  that  you  are  from 
'  The  South  '—a  term,  by  the  way,  which  is  a  misnomer. 
You  call  Texas  a  '  Southern '  State ;  it  is  Western. 
You  speak  of  Minnesota,  or  Idaho,  or  Washington  as 
Western  States,  while  they  are  Northern.  And  Virginia, 
New  York,  all  New  England,  and  North  Carolina,  are 
Eastern  States.  Forget  State  lines ;  they  are  practically 
obsolete.  Kailways  don't  observe  them ;  commerce  don't 
know  them ;  and  it  would  be  as  well  if  they  were  swept 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  49 

away  in  name,  as  in  fact  they  have  been.  The  United 
States  con8titute  a  Nation,  not  a  collection  of  weak, 
dependent  'Sovereignties'  so-called.  'State  Sover 
eignty'  is  an  exploded  heresy!  Consider  the  whole 
country  as  your  country,  and  you  will  prosper;  be  nar 
row-minded — provincial— and  you  will  fail.  This  republic 
is  destined  to  embrace  the  whole  continent.  I  will  not 
live  to  see  it,  but  you  may." 

Lee  listened  to  this  advice  with  good  humor,  for  he 
knew  that  it  was  sincerely  uttered  and  that  it  would  be 
folly  to  attempt  to  change  the  opinions  of  the  old  gen 
tleman  by  any  argument  which  he  could  advance.  In 
deed,  it  was  easy  for  this  happy  and  fortunate  youth  to 
look  upon  the  rose-colored  side  of  life.  With  an  ample 
fortune  and  all  of  life  before  him,  and  no  one  to  direct  or 
interfere  with  his  movements  or  plans,  life  seemed  rose 
ate  indeed.  He  would  have  been  blind  not  to  perceive 
that  the  handsome  and  vivacious  daughter  of  Mr.  De 
Brosses  was  already  interested  in  what  he  did  and  said. 
She  was  beginning  to  be  a  part  of  his  thoughts  when  he 
was  absent  from  her  society,  when  this  chance  suggestion 
that  he  should  pnss  a  part  of  his  vacation  in  New  Eng 
land  determined  him  to  do  so.  He  had  no  acquaintances 
in  all  New  England,  but  invitations  to  attend  the  col 
lege  contests  had  annually  been  mailed  to  him  since  the 
Yale-Princeton  games  in  which  he  had  triumphed  as  a 
Freshman  five  years  previous,  and  he  decided  to  accept 
the  one  just  received  from  Yale.  Thus  Lee  found  himself 
once  more  in  New  Haven,  and  a  smile  was  on  his  face 
while  his  cheeks  glowed  with  health  and  his  eyes  with 
enthusiasm.  It  was  summer  again,  and  cannon  were 
being  fired,  horns  blown,  and  sky-rockets  sent  upward  on 
this  July  the  Fourth,  the  country's  natal  day. 

Carter  Lee  was  in  the  camp  of  Yale  when  the  rejoicing 
was  at  its  height,  for  Yale  had  won  the  victory  in  the 
boat  race  at  New  London,  between  the  Harvard 
and  Yale  College  crews,  and  the  superiority  of  the  Yale 
stroke  was  evident  from  the  start  to  the  finish.  Harvard 
was  depressed ;  Yale  exultant.  As  he  entered  the  city  of 
New  Haven  witli  the  victorious  crew,  they  were  received 
with  a  tremendous  ovation,  and  the  crew  were  escorted  to 
the  campus  of  Yale  College  on  the  top  of  a  big  tally-ho. 
M. 


50  THE    MODERN   PARIAH. 

From  the  railway  station  to  the  college  grounds,  the 
cheering  was  continuous,  and  New  Haven  was  wholly 
enthusiastic  and  altogether  good-natured.  As  an  alum 
nus  of  Yale,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  athletic 
sports,  Charles  Windom  and  his  friend  were  invited  guests 
of  the  Yale  crew. 

"Ah!"  said  Windom  to  his  guest;  "old  Oxford,  with  all 
its  anti-materialistic  spirit;  all  of  what  Matthew  Arnold 
calls  'that  ineffable  charm  which  keeps  calling  us  near  to 
the  true  goal  of  all  of  us,  to  the  ideal,  to  perfection,  to 
beauty,  in  a  word,  which  is  only  truth  seen  from  another 
side';  Oxford,  with  its  Heads  of  Houses,  its  Masters, 
Dons,  and  Fellows,  and  rigid  social  tone,  cannot  inspire 
a  welcome  such  as  this !  It  takes  young  America  to  thus 
enthuse  Americans,  young  and  old." 

Lee's  eyes  were  directed  to  the  pretty  girls  on  the 
street,  but  he  answered  :  "Do  they  not  have  boat  races 
there?" 

"Oh,  yes;  and  fine  ones,  too.  We  have  annual  eight- 
oared  races,  the  college  barges  are  crowded  and  the  op 
posite  bank  of  the  Thames  is  thronged  with  people  view 
ing  the  contest.  A  gun  booms,  and,  amid  cries  and  the 
noise  of  bells  and  the  band  of  music,  the  leading  boat 
shoots  forth,  and  the  excitement  begins  and  continues 
to  the  finish.  But  there  is  no  such  ovation  as  this  at  the 
home-coming,"  said  Windom,  waving  his  hand  to  theen- 
thusiastic  crowds  that  thronged  the  streets  and  huzzaed 
as  the  tally-ho,  filled  with  victorious  Yalesians,  passed 

by. 

When  the  two  young  men  separated,  Lee  went  to  the 
hotel  and  Windom  joined  his  sister,  whom  he  recognized 
among  the  spectators. 

"Charlie,  who  was  that  very  handsome  young  man 
seated  on  the  tally-ho  with  you  ?  "  she  asked.  "Amanda 
and  I  were  impressed  with  his  appearance;  he  is  very 
handsome." 

"Oh!  he  is  a  professional  athlete  from  New  York," 
said  Windom,  carelessly. 

"Indeed!  it  is  too  bad  :  Amanda,  in  calling  my  atten 
tion  to  him,  said :  '  Look  at  your  brother's  friend,  Mary ; 
if  ever  a  nian  looked  like  a  gentleman,  he  does';  and  I 
quite  agreed  with  Amanda." 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  51 

Windom  laughed  and  said :  "You  were  both  right;  so 
far  as  I  know  he  is  tip-top,  a  gentleman  in  every  sense  of 
the  word.  Sister,  do  you  remember  the  young  Princeton 
student  who  made  the  extraordinary  run  which  defeated 
our  Yale  boys  five  years  ago?  " 

"Certainly;  is  this  handsome  stranger  he?  " 

"The  same.  By  the  way,  I  threatened  then  to  have 
him  here  to  tea,  to  meet  Miss  Amanda  and  yourself, 
didn't  I?" 

"Yes,"  said  Mary,  smiling. 

"  Well,  I  have  invited  him  to  take  tea  with  us  to-mor 
row  evening,  and  if  that  fellow  DuBose  doesn't  take  all 
of  Miss  Amanda's  time,  confound  him ! — " 

"I  will  fix  it,"  said  Ma~ry,  interrupting  him.  "  I'll  ask 
Amanda  to  be  present,  and,  as  Dr.  DuBose  is  quite  a 
favorite  of  mine,  I'll  invite  him,  too." 

"That  will  be  returning  evil  for  good,  with  a  ven 
geance,"  said  her  brother. 

"I  promise  you  that  I  will  not  let  him  monopolize 
Amanda.  In  truth,  I  think  it  is  due  Dr.  DuBose  to  give 
him  a  cha,nce  to  see  Amanda  without  having  to  en 
counter  Professor  Von  Donhoff,  who  is  more  in  love  with 
her  than  he  is." 

"What!"  said  Windom,  laughing  heartily '  at  the 
thought  of  his  old  professor  as  a  rival.  "Is  that  so? 
the  last  man  on  earth  that  1  thought  would  be  foolish 
enough  to  fall  in  love  with  a  pretty  girl." 

"  You  need  not  take  it  so  lightly;  I  think  you  have 
more  to  fear  from  him  than  any  one  else." 

"Come,  now,  sister  dear,  don't  go  back  on  me  so  soon 
after  my  return  home.  I  confess  that  I  have  been  disap 
pointed,  and  Miss  Amanda  does  not  seem  to  have  any 
more  serious  intention  of  accepting  me  now  than  when  I 
went  to  England." 

He  was  in  a  more  serious  mood  now,  and  his  sister 
noticed  it. 

"  Well,  my  dear  brother,  would  you  have  her  throw 
herself  at  your  feet  just  because  you  courted  her  five 
years  ago?  For  my  part,  I  think  any  belle,  and 
Amanda  is  one,  is  very  foolish  to  think  of  marriage  un 
til  she  has  many  more  scalps,  metaphorically  speaking, 
than  either  she  or  your  worthy  sister  can  yet  boast  of." 


52  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

"I  quite  agree  with  my  '  worthy  sister,'  so  far  as  she  is 
concerned,  and  I  pray  that  she  may  never  marry;  no 
man  is  good  enough  for  you,  my  dear,"  caressing  her  as 
he  spoke. 

"Thank  you;  I  quite  agree  with  my  'worthy  brother,' 
and  he  may  reconcile  himself  to  the  thought  of  having 
me  on  his  hands  for  ever  so  long — say  until  1  am  twenty- 
five." 

"  So  mote  it  be,  amen !  And  until  twice  twenty-five, 
sister  mine." 

Thus,  the  next  evening,  Carter  Lee  was  the  guest  of 
Charles  Windom  at  tea.  As  he  had  never  met  any  of 
the  ladies  or  gentlemen  before,  he  was  rather  quiet  at 
first,  for  he  had  learned  the  art  of  being  a  good  listener. 

There  was  one  feature  of  the  conversation,  however, 
which  interested  Lee  greatly,  and  resulted  in  an  invita 
tion  to  him,  extended  then  and  there,  to  join  Mrs.  Win 
dom 's  party  on  an  excursion  along  the  New  England 
coast  in  two  weeks. 

"Our  chief  objective  point  will  be  the  Isles  of  Shoals," 
said  Mrs.  Windom  to  Lee,  who  accepted  the  invitation 
immediately,  and  said  to  her  : 

"Pardon  my  ignorance,  but  where  are  the  Isles  of 
Shoals-?" 

"On  the  coast  of  New  Hampshire,  or,  rather,  off  the 
coast,  for  it  is  ten  miles  from  the  shore,"  she  replied. 

"That  is  a  unique  idea,  isn't  it?  My  idea  has  always 
been  that  a  successful  resort  must  be  accessible  above 
all  things,"  said  Lee. 

"  I  think  it  is  the  only  summer  resort  in  America  of 
the  kind ;  but  the  very  reason  which  you  give  as  a  bar 
to  its  success  makes  its  popularity." 

Lee's  eyes  were  interrogation  points,  but  he  awaited 
in  silence  for  further  explanation,  when  she  continued : 

"  You  know,  Mr.  Lee,  that  the  ultimate  aim  of  society, 
in  the  highest  meaning  of  that  word,  is  to  be  as  exclu 
sive  as  circumstances  will  permit.  Now,  almost  all  of 
our  New  England  coast  has  been  purchased  for  summer 
hotels  or  villa  sites,  and  the  summer  hotels  are  thronged 
all  the  season  with  people  of  every  class  from  our  large 
cities.  Newport  is  an  exception,  and  so  is  Bar  Harbor, 
but  only  multi-millionaires  affect  those  two  places. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  53 

Newport,  it  is  said,  has  the  finest  beach  on  the  New  Eng 
land  coast,  yet  the  cottagers  there  do  not  indulge  in 
sea-bathing." 

"  Poor  things !  "  said  Miss  Windom. 

"Why  do  you  call  them  'poor  things,'  and  why  do 
they  not  enjoy  themselves?"  asked  Lee,  who  began  to 
feel  that  he  did  not  know  all  things,  and  was  still  in 
some  respects  a  verdant  green. 

His  question  was  directed  to  Miss  Windom,  who 
laughed  as  she  answered  : 

"They  are  so  rich  that  they  are  afraid  of  each  other; 
and,  as  'the  common  herd' — that  is  to  say  the  peo 
ple  who  are  vulgar  enough  to  stop  at  the  hotels,  take 
sea-baths,  they  will  not  do  it." 

Lee  laughed  and  said:  "I  suppose  you  escape  all  such 
snobbishness  at  the  Isles  of  Shoals?  " 

"  Yes;  people  go  there  to  escape  both  the  '  Society  as 
I  have  found  it'  class, and  also  to  escape  contact  with  the 
low,  drunken  class  who  frequent  cheap  excursions." 

"No  excursion  parties  are  allowed  to  land  there," 
remarked  Windom. 

"Have  you  read  'Society  as  I  have  found  it,'  Mr. 
Lee?  I  believe  the  author  is  from  your  State,"  said 
Miss  Amanda  Adams. 

"  No,  I  have  not  read  it,  but  from  the  newspaper  criti 
cisms  I  infer  that  the  writer's  imagination  is  more  com 
prehensive  than  his  education.  His  scorn  for  the  rules 
of  grammar  seems  to  be  heroic  in  its  frankness." 

"  He  is  the  prince  of  snobs,  and  his  book  is  an  auto 
biography,"  said  Windom. 

"His  autobiography  merits  an  auto-da-fe,  then,  if 
that  is  true.  I  can  stand  vanity,  but  I  despise  toady 
ism,"  rejoined  Miss  Adams. 

"Good!"  sa.id  Windom.  clapping  his  hands  at  this 
witticism;  "I'll  stop  in  Newport  long  enough  to  tell  the 
author  that." 

"Miss  Adams,"  said  Lee;  "I  am  reminded  by  your 
remark  when  you  alluded  to  'my  State' of  an  incident 
which  happened  to  me  in  Union  Square  the  other  day. 
It  was  quite  warm  and,  unlike  your  Newport  cottagers, 
I  took  a  seat  on  a  bench  beside  an  Irish  laborer.  We 
talked  some  time  and,  finally,  I  told  him  the  wages 


54  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

paid  to  laborers  in  Georgia,  alluding  to  it  as  'my 
State.'" 

"Do  you  own  a  whole  State?"  ho  asked.  "I  belong 
in  New  York  City,  and  you  are  the  first  man  in  America 
that  I  ever  heard  of  who  owned  a  Sta,te." 

Amanda  laughed  and  answered  :  "  I  acknowledge  that 
the  rebuke  is  just ;  but  we  constantly  make  similar  mis 
takes  without  noticing  them." 

"Pardon  me, I  did  not  mean  to  call  attention  to  your 
mistake,  but  to  mine,"  said  Lee,  gallantly. 

"Oh,  never  mind;  we  both  'belong'  to  Georgia  by 
birth,  and  so  does  the  author  referred  to ;  so  no  harm  is 
done,  and,  perhaps,  our  native  clime  has  something  to 
do  with  it." 

"Are  you  from  Georgia?  I  never  would  have  im 
agined  it.  But,  really,  Connecticut  people  do  resemble 
Georgians,"  replied  Lee. 

"  Good  for  the  Georgians !  "  said  Windom  to  Amanda, 
in  an  undertone. 

"I  was  born  in  Georgia,'1  said  Amanda,  "but  as  I 
left  there  when  I  was  a  month  old,  my  recollections  are 
not  very  distinct." 

Politeness  checked  the  questions  which  Lee  desired  to 
ask,  but  his  curiosity  was  piqued,  and  he  mentally  cal 
culated  the  years  since  she  was  "  a  month  old  "and  cor 
rectly  surmised  that  her  father  must  have  been  a  Federal 
soldier,  and  her  birth  contemporary  with  the  death  of 
the  Confederacy. 

"Speech  is  silvern;  silence  is  golden,"  thought  Lee,  as 
he  prudently  kept  his  curiosity  in  check. 

He  remembered  the  kindly  counsel  of  his  venerable, 
friend,  Mr.  De  Brosses,  and  resolved  to  say  nothing  that 
would  occasion  any  unpleasant  reference  to  the  civil  war. 
He  already  perceived  that  these  Northern  people  did  not 
suffer  from  it  materially — had  not  sacrificed  fortunes, 
business,  and  professions,  and  the  flower  of  their  youth 
and  manhood  to  prosecute  it,  as  did  the  Southern  peo 
ple;  and  that  they  could  not,  therefore,  appreciate  the 
patriotism  that  nerved  them  as  one  man  to  continue 
the  desperate  struggle  long  after  it  was  hopeless.  Mr.  De 
Brosses'  parting  speech  to  him  was:  " Remember,  my 
young  friend,  that  the  YearOne  does  notdate  from!865, 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  55 

and  that  our  little  family  quarrel  is  but  a  speck  on  the 
horizon   of  history.    The  soldiers  of  both  armies  w 
equally  brave  and  equally  patriotic.'' 

Lee  did  not  reply  to  this  impartial  speech,  but  he  did 
his  own  thinking,  nevertheless.  He  reflected  that  there 
were  but  two  hundred  thousand  living  ex-Confederate  sol 
diers,  while  the  pension  rolls  in  Washington  showed 
that  fivehundred  and  twenty  thousand,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  Federal  soldiers  were  drawing  pensions  from 
the  Government,  and  five  hundred  thousand  more  are 
seeking  to  have  their  names  enrolled.  On  the  Southern 
side,  two  hundred  thousand  living  ex-soldiers;  on  the 
Northern,  or  Union  side,  there  are  one  million,  two  hun 
dred  and  eight  thousand, sevenhundred  and  seven  living 
ex-soldiers  according  to  the  figures  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Pensions.  "As  there  are  more  than  six  times  as  many 
ex-Federal  soldiers  living  as  there  are  ex-Confederate  sol 
diers  living,  BO  there  were  more  than  six  times  as  many 
Federal  soldiers  as  there  were  Confederate  soldiers  en 
listed  during  that  war  which  Mr.  De  Brosses  styled  '  our 
little  family  quarrel,'"  thought  Lee,  and  he  smiled  as 
this  thought  greeted  him. 

But  he  was  not  disposed  to  spoil  a  delightful  visit  by 
expressing  sentiments  which  politeness  forbade  him  to 
utter,  and  common  sense  urged  him  to  keep  under  a  wise 
restraint. 


"This  is,  indeed,  delightful,"  said  Lee.  "Here,  at  the 
'Shoals,'  it  is  a  serene,  sunny  day,  while,  over  yonder 
shore,  see  how  the  black  clouds  gather;  and  the  thunder, 
rolling  above  us,  portends  a  storm  there." 

"But  it  will  not  reach  this  charmed  circle,"  replied 
Mary.  "Often  I  have  noticed  such  clouds,  followed  by 
rain  on  the  distant  shore,  while  all  day  long  here  it  was 
as  clear  as  it  is  now.  Have  you  ever  read  a  prettier 
description  than  this  ?  Read  it,  Mr.  Lee ;  I  wish  you  to 
enjoy  it  and  I  feel  disposed  to  test  your  capacity  as  a 
reader." 

Lee  took  the  paper  and  read  as  follows :  "  With  every 
hour  there  is  a  changing  panorama.  The  sea  reflects 


56  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

5 

the  blue  orgray  of  the  sky.  Sometimes,  through  mirage 
»r  floating  vapors,  the  horizon  disappears,  heaven  and 
earth  are  blended,  and  the  distant  ships  seem  sailing  in 
the  clouds.  Sometimes,  when  there  is  not  a  film  in  the 
air  between  Canada  and  this  coast,  the  dim  pyramid  of 
Mount  Washington  rises  in  the  north  a  hundred  miles 
away." 

"  That  is  pretty,"  he  said ;  "but  it  i,j  not  an  exaggera 
tion;  this  day  verifies  it." 

That  evening  they  walked  along  the  wide  piazzas  and 
enjoyed  the  scene,  which  was  totally  unlike  that  which 
had  so  excited  their  enthusiasm  during  the  day.  The 
revolving  light  of  White  Island,  a  mile  away,  flashed  its 
light  across  the  waters,  as  she  spoke  to  him  of  the  music 
of  the  bells  from  yonder  yachts,  which  sounded  faintly 
above  the  calm  sea. 

"There  they  are,  with  watch  set  and  with  white  wings 
folded ;  and  see,  beside  them  ride  the  little  boats  of  the 
fishermen.  How  peaceful  it  all  looks!  What  a  contrast 
to  the  same  waters. when  a  storm  does  come." 

"Can't  we  take  a  little  stroll?  "  he  asked. 

"  Je  voudrais,  si  je  could-rais,  mais  je  cant-raiti  pas," 
she  answered,  gailj. 

Lee  laughed,  and  said:  "That  is  pigeon-French,  is 
it  nob?" 

"  1  guess  so ;  it  was  spoken  by  a  gentleman  who 
attended  the  last  meeting  of  the  '  Cercle  Litteraire 
Fran<;ais,'  and  it  was  amusing  to  see  how  embarrassed 
he  was  when  informed  of  his  error.  He  had  evidently 
weighed  each  word  carefully  before  speaking,  which 
made  his  mistakes  all  the  more  ridiculous." 

With  a  laugh  Lee  said  :  "  But  why  can't  we  take  a 
walk  up  the  ledge?  I  am  told  that  we  can  see  the  star  of 
Newburyport  and  the  twin  lights  of  Cape  Ann  from 
there." 

"So  we  can ;  I  have  been  there  at  night ;  and  you  can 
see  also,  to  the  right,  the  lights  of  Portsmouth  and 
New  Castle.  I  don't  wish  to  ask  mamma  to  go  at  night, 
but  to-morrow,  if  you  like,  I  will  go  with  you  and  try  to 
point  out  the  glories  that  you  miss  to-night." 

This  with  an  arch  expression  of  coquetry. 

Lee  did  not  insist  further,  for  he  knew  that  this  young 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  57 

lady  was  correct  in  her  ideas  of  propriety,  and  he  liked 
her  none  the  less  for  it.  Just  then  the  lively  strains  of 
the  orchestra  greeted  them  from  the  dancing  hall,  and 
Lee  said : 

"As  you  will  not  walk  with  me,  you  will  at  least  dance 
with  me;  will  you  not?  Let  us  take  a  waltz  in  the 
dancing  hall." 

To  this  proposition  Mary  assented  and,  as  they  joined 
the  merry  dancers,  Lee  thought  that  he  had  never  seen 
any  one  half  so  beautiful  and  graceful  as  she.  As  they 
turned  from  the  brilliant  ball-room  to  see  again  the 
beauty  of  the  night  out  of  doors,  the  heavens  seemed  to 
Lee  to  be  fuller  of  stars  than  he  had  ever  seen  it  before. 
Indeed,  to  both  of  these  ha.ppy  young  people,  the  ocean 
seemed  to  chant  their  lullaby  as  they  passed  on  to  her 
apartment,  at  the  door  of  which  her  mother  awaited 
them.  To  Lee  this  night  had  been  the  golden  night  of 
his  existence. 

Early  the  next  morning,  he  and  Mary  Windom  went  to 
the  ledge  that  she  had  described  to  him.  They  looked 
forth  upon  the  broad  Atlantic  while  the  fresh  morning 
breeze  fanned  the  waves,  and  the  sun  shone  gloriously 
over  ;the  sea.  Already  the  fishing  boats  were  going  to 
the  nearest  banks,  and  the  roar  of  the  billows  as  they 
thundered  with  the  incoming  tide  almost  drowned  their 
voices.  For  a  long  time  they  watched  the  splendor  of 
the  breakers  as  they  dashed  against  the  cliff,  or  against 
each  other,  while  sea-gulls  circled  here  and  there  above" 
them,  with  wings  that  seemed  tireless. 

"Wonderful  birds!  I've  seen  them  flying  thus  a  thou 
sand  miles  from  land,"  he  said. 

" Then  you  are  quite  a  traveler?  " 

"  No,  but  I'll  tell  you  some  day  of  the  little  that  I  have 
seen." 

As  they  arose  to  return  to  the  hotel,  they  saw  on  an 
opposite  ledge  two  figures  who  seemed  too  much  ab 
sorbed  in  each  other's  society  to  notice  the  ocean  view. 
They  were  Windom  and  Amanda. 

After  breakfast,  as  they  sat  on  the  verandah,  Professor 
Von  Donhoff ,  to  whom  Mary  Windom  had  suggested 
that  Carter  Lee  had  traveled  extensively,  said  to  Lee; 


58  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"Miss  Mary  informs  me  that  you  have  traveled  in 
foreign  countries.  Have  you  visited  Germany  ?  " 

"No,  my  travels  are  limited  to  Mexico,  Central  and 
South  America,  and  a  cruise  on  the  Pacific.  Up  to  two 
years  ago  I  had  seen  nothing  out  of  the  United  States." 

"  But  you  have  seen  the  countries  that  I  most  wish  to 
see,"  said  the  Professor,  "  and  I  envy  you,  for  there  is 
but  one  museum  of  American  antiquities  worthy  of  the 
name  on  this  continent." 

"  In  Mexico?  "  queried  Lee. 

"  Yes;  what  amazes  me  more  than  anything  else  is  the 
indifference  of  Americans  concerning  the  antiquity  of 
their  own  country." 

"But  we  have  no  antiquities,  have  we?"  asked  Mary 
Windom,  looking  from  one  to  the  other  for  an  answer. 

Lee  smiled;  her  very  ignorance  of  the  art  of  pretend 
ing  to  vast  knowledge,  so  often  assumed  by  young 
Americans,  amused  him. 

"  Is  not  this  the  New  World  ?  "  she  asked. 

While  the  inquiry  was  general,  no  one  saw  fit  to  re 
spond  to  it  except  Professor  Von  Donhoff,  who  amiably 
replied : 

"No  one  who  has  visited  Mexico  will  say  so." 

"Now  Mr.  Lee,  what  do  you  say  about  it?"  asked 
Mary. 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  answer  your  question.  Colum 
bus,  Cortez,  and  Pizarro  thought  they  had  discovered  a 
New  World,  but  I  was  told  that  the  Temple  of  Cuzco  in 
Yucatan  was  older  than  Christianity,  and  that  the  cross 
upon  its  pinnacle  was  not  a  Christian  emblem." 

" Exactly,"  replied  the  Professor;  "that  cross  upon 
the  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  Cuzco,  as  well  as  the  triune  ves 
sel  found  in  one  of  the  mounds  built  by  the  Mound 
builders  in  Ohio,  do  not  indicate  a  knowledge  of  the 
trinity,  but  they  really  prove  their  Hindoo  origin.  The 
symbol  of  the  cross  is  older  than  Christianity.  It  was 
the  emblem  of  the  goddess  Astarte.  Similarly  the  Greg 
orian  hymn  is  of  pagan  origin.  The  cross  was  found  on 
one  of  the  bas-reliefs  at  Pompeii ;  and  the  early  Chris 
tians  knew  that  it  was  a  sacred  emblem  among  Pagan 
nations.  The  Hindoos  often  wear  a  cross  appended  to  a 
rosary ;  and  Brahma  is  often  represented  as  holding  one 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  59 

in  his  hand.  The  rosary  is  still  used  in  Thibet  and  in 
China.  The  Tartars  carry  crosses ;  the  Mongols  regard 
the  cross  as  sacred,  and  it  is  seen  in  the  pagodas.  In 
like  manner  copper  crosses  and  necklaces  of  beads  have 
been  found  on  skeletons  found  in  American  mounds, 
which  indicates,  as  I  said,  their  Hindoo  origin." 

"  I  wish  I  had  known  these  facts  before  I  visited  those 
countries, "said  Lee.  "  As  it  is,  I  only  observed  that  there 
were  about  four  thousand  specimens  of  ancient  Aztec 
sculpture  in  the  museum  in  Mexico — idols,  statues,  and 
busts  of  divinities,  figures  of  animals,  urns,  vases,  some 
of  them  of  wonderful  artistic  beauty — are  collected 
there." 

"Similar  idols,  vases,  urns,  utensils  of  copper,  and 
pottery  are  found  in  the  'mounds,'  or  tumuli,  that  stand 
in  various  parts  of  the  United  States  as  memorials  of 
the  real  aborigines  of  America,"  said  the  Professor. 

"  I  thought  the  Indians  were  the  aborigines  of 
this  continent,"  remarked  Amanda. 

"  That  is  to  say,  you  have  thought  very  little  about  it, 
eh  ?  "  replied  the  Professor  gently. 

"  That's  a  true  bill,  as  pap.-i  would  say,"  she  replied. 

"And  not  ten  thousand  out  of  sixty  million  Americans 
have  given  it  much  more  thought  than  ha s  Miss  Amanda, ' ' 
suggested  Windom. 

"That  don't  help  matters;  I  lose  patience  when  I 
think  of  how  contented  Americans  are  to  remain  in  ignor 
ance  of  what  we,  in  Europe,  consider  essential  parts  of 
knowledge." 

"  I  do  not  know  much  about  the  subject,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  earliest  discoverers  of  whom  we  have  un 
doubted  knowledge,  not  misty  tradition,  like  Columbus, 
for  example,  were  probably  correct  in  considering  this 
the 'New  World,' and  the  Indians  the  aborigines  there 
of,"  said  DuBose. 

"  You  are  in  error  about  that.  Columbus  was  informed 
by  the  Indians  that  their  ancestors  had  only  been  on  this 
continent  the  age  of  three  old  men — not  exceeding  three 
hundred  years  anterior  to  its  discovery  by  him.  It  is 
certain  that  two  races  as  separate  and  distinct  as  the 
native  of  Hindoostan  and  the  American  Indian  inhabited 
this  country  long  before  the  conquest  of  Mexico.  It  is. 


60  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

almost  equally  certain  that  the  Indian,  so-called,  is  the 
more  modern  of  the  two." 

"Who  were  their  predecessors,  the  Aztecs?"  inquired 
Carter  Lee. 

"  Yes;  or  rather  their  ancestors,  the  '  Mound  Builders.' 
Cortez  was  informed  by  Montezuma  that  their  ancestors 
touched  first  at  Florida,  and  made  their  way  to  Mexico ; 
whence,  it  seems  probable,  they  scattered  over  the  con 
tinent,  wherever  these  pyramidal  mounds  stand,  and  no 
further." 

"That  is  interesting,"  said  Lee.  'One  of  the  mounds  to 
which  you  allude  is  on  my  father's  plantation  in  Georgia, 
and  from  it  manyidolsand  trinkets  have  been  taken.  The 
hieroglyphics  on  these  images  do  resemble  those  found 
in  the  museum  in  the  City  of  Mexico." 

"  Exactty  so.  I  repeat  that  that  is  the  only  museum  of 
American  antiquities?,  worthy  of  the  name,  in  America. 
All  of  the  mound.s  in  America  point  invariably  to  Mexico. 
Marine  shells  that  abound  in  Hindoostan,  but  are 
unknown  here,  are  found  in  Mexican  and  American 
mounds." 

"I  have  often  wondered  what  connection  there  was 
between  the  Indian  and  the  Mound  Builders,"  said  Win- 
dom.  "It  is  very  clear  that  you  are  right,  Professor, 
because  the  Indians  never  worshiped  any  idols,  or  images, 
nnd  did  worship  the  Great  Spirit — God." 

"Yes,  and  the  Aztecs  in  Mexico  and  Peru  were,  in  their 
day,  as  devout  sun  worshipers  as  the  people  of  India. 
Fire  worship,  worship  in  temples,  and  images,  wore  as 
familiar  to  the  Mexicans  and  Peruvians  as  to  the  Etrus 
cans,  Greeks,  Egyptians,  Hindoos,  Scythians,  Chinese 
and  Mongols  generally.  Osiris,  in  the  Egyptian,  and 
Vishnu,  in  the  Hindoo  mythology,  bear  the  samerelation 
to  Typhon  and  to  Siva,  respectively,  as  Quetzaltcoatl 
bears  to  Tezcatlipoca  in  Mexican  mythology;  one  repre 
senting  the  creative,  and  the  other  the  destroying  power. " 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,  Professor,  that  America  is  the 
old  world,  and  not  the  New  World?  that  the  Mexicans 
and  Egyptians  were  the  same  people?"  asked  Dr.  Du 
Bose. 

"  There  are  many  reasons  for  that  opinion.  The  resem 
blances  to  Egypt  were^  too  many  and  striking  to  doubt 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH  61 

that  they  had  a  common  origin.  There  are  two  pyra 
mids  at  Palenque  which  indicate,  by  the  figure  of  the 
heart,  that  they  believed,  with  the  Egyptians,  that  the 
heart  is  the  seat  of  the  intellect.  The  Etrurian  year  con 
sisted  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days,  five  hours, 
and  forty  minutes,  and  the  Mexican  year  consisted  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days,  five  hours,  and  fifty 
minutes.  The  pyramid  at  Cholula  is  twice  as  large  as 
that  of  Cheops,  and  ten  feet  higher  than  that  of  Myceri- 
nas.  The  paintings  and  sculpture  in  Mexico  are  likewise 
analogous  to  the  Egyptian ;  and  the  figures  found  in  the 
Mexican  and  American  mounds  are  seated  cross-legged 
in  the  oriental  fashion." 

"That's  so,"  said  Lee;  "I  noticed  that  much." 

Mary  Windom  smiled  at  this  honest  confession  that  he 
had  traveled  through  Mexico  and  Central  America  with 
his  eyes  almost  shut  so  far  as  antiquarian  research  is 
concerned.  The  Professor  also  noticed  it  with  approval, 
and  Mary's  smile  seemed  infectious. 

"B\it,  Professor,  what  of  the  Indian?  I  have  never 
seen  a  Mexican,  but  I  have  seen  a  great  many  Indians. 
Where  did  they  come  from? ''  asked  Mrs.  Windom. 

"The  Indian  knows  nothing, by  tradition  or  otherwise, 
of  the  Mound  Builders,  while  there  are  innumerable  his 
torical  links  connecting  the  ancient  Mexicans  with 
Egypto-Indo  races.  A  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
Navy,  who  was  with  Commodore  Wilkes  during  his  four 
years'  cruise  in  1839,  coasting  the  Pacific  Islands, as  well 
as  Asia  and  Africa,  stated  to  me  that  they  paid  great 
attention  to  this  subject.  The  conclusion  arrived  at  was 
that  the  American  Indian  and  the  Malay  were  one  and 
the  same  race — the  latter  changed  by  circumstances  of 
time  and  place.  They  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to 
each  other,  whether  seen  in  Canada,  Florida,  Peru,  or 
Brazil.  I  think  that  the  most  probable  theory." 

This  subject,  while  interesting  as  a  suggestion,  did  not 
interest  the  young  people  as  much  as  it  did  the  Professor 
and  Mrs.  Windom,  and,  as  if  "with  a  common  impulse, 
they  arose  in  response  to  a  suggestion  from  Windom 
that  they  should  take  a  sail. 

'•  The  Bea  is  smooth,  and  the  day  is  all  that  one  could 
ask  for,"  said  he. 


62  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

To  this  Amanda  and  Du  Bose  assented,  but  Lee 
declined  with  thanks,  saying  that  he  had  a  prior  engage 
ment  with  Mary,  who,  he  said,  had  promised  to  give  him 
his  first  lesson  in  botany.  The  remainder  of  the  party 
decided  to  go  on  a  boating  excursion. 

For  the  first  time,  it  seemed  to  Lee,  he  was  thus 
afforded  an  opportunity  to  talk  to  Mary  Windom  to  his 
heart's  content,  and  he  tried  to  talk  about  the  island, 
and  society,  and  every  subject  that  would  interest  her, 
when  all  the  time  the  one  subject  which  most  interested 
him  was  Mary  Windom  herself. 


X. 

"I think  you  said  you  had  seen  Mount  Washington 
from  this  island,  Miss  Mar}r?  "  he  asked. 

"Oh,  yes;  sometimes  when -storms  have  passed  and 
the  sky  is  clear,  we  can  see  its  pyramidal  peak." 

"  How  many  islands  are  there  in  the  group  that  form 
the  Isles  of  Shoals?" 

"There  are  seven,  or  ten,  I  forget  the  exact  number; 
but  only  two  or  three  are  of  interest  to  tourists." 

"Appledore  and  Star,  where  the  hotels  are,"  said  Lee, 
interrupting  her.  "  By  the  way,  Miss  Mary,  how  very 
much  good  hotels  add  to  the  delights  of  viewing 
scenery." 

She  smiled  and  answered. 

"  I'm  afraid,  Mr.  Lee,  that  you  are  utilitarian ;  or,  to 
use  a  horrid  word,  practical  rather  than  romantic." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  I  am ;  but  see  those  flowers,  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill ;  let  us  go  and  gather  some." 

Arrived  there  he  asked  :  "  What  are  the  names  of  these 
flowers,  Miss  Mary  ?  " 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  the  names  of  our  common 
flowers?  "  she  exclaimed. 

"I  know  tame  flowers,  roses,  geraniums,  and  the 
like — but  I  don't  know  the  names  of  these  wild  flowers. 
What  are  these?  " 

"Marigolds." 

"  Never  heard  the  name  before ;  and  those  ?  " 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  63 

"Sweet  peas;  nasturtiums;  asters — '  she  exclaimed 
rapidly. 

"Stop,  please,  Miss  Mary;  let  me  write  down  those 
names;  I  never  will  remember  them  in  the  world." 

"And  the  flowers — will  you  forget  them  also?"  She 
handed  him  a  little  bouquet  as  she  spoke,  and  with  a 
pleased  smile  Lee  answered : 

"No,  indeed;  how  can  I  ever  forget  them?  I  love 
flowers  for  their  own.  sake,  not  for  their  names,  and  I 
sometimes  feel  like  doffing  my  hat  to  them ;  these  I  could 
kneel  to,"  he  gallantly  said,  alluding  to  the  bouquet 
which  she  had  so  deftly  made. 

"What  an  idea!  "  said  Mary  laughing  merrily. 
"How  pretty  those  yachts  are;  their  sails  look  like 
wings,"  she  added. 

"  Do  you  like  yachting?  "  said  Lee. 

"Above  all  things !  " 

"That's  a  pity." 

"  Why?     Don't  you  like  yachting?  " 

'  'A  poor  Southerner  need  never  aspire  to  win  any  girl 
who  likes  yachting  'above  all  things;'  it's  a  costly 
luxury." 

Mary  laughed  again,  and,  turning,  said:  "How 
peaceful  is  tha.t  view  I  " 

For  they  stood  in  the  flower-bordered  path  at  Star, 
and  looked  at  Applodore  across  the  water  space. 

"See!"  he  exclaimed;  "your  'birds'  are  spreading 
their  '  wings ; '  the  yachts  are  about  to  leave  us.  I  won 
der  where  those  rich  fellows  are  going." 

"To  Bar  Harbor,  doubtless.  'See  Naples  and  die;' 
see  Bar  Harbor  if  you  would  know  what  it  is  to 
live." 

"Did  you  ever  go  fishing  in  one  of  these  little  fishing 
boats?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes ;  often ;  and  once  we  caught  a  fish  that  weighed 
eighty  pounds." 

"Ah,  me!"  said  Lee,  affecting  to  sigh. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  she  asked. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  know  it  all,  and  I  can't  teach  you 
anything;  it's  too  bad  ! " 

Mary  laughed,  pleased  at  the  implied  complin  icrit. 

"  How  delicious  is  this  breeze !  this  view  of  glorious  sea 


64  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

and  sky,"  said  Lee,  as  they  reached  a  rock  which  over 
looked  the  vast  expanse  of  waters. 

"Oh!  I'm  so  glad  to  know  that  you  have  some  senti 
ment,"  said  she.  "I  have  been  wondering  all  this  time 
if  it  was  possible  that — " 

"That  I  was  a  regular  dry-as-dust,"  said  Lee,  inter 
rupting  her.  "Well,  I  must  plead  guilty  to  the  charge, 
but-1 

"  But  what?  "  she  asked. 

"I  was  going  to  say  that  I  am  an  enthusiast  compared 
to  the  author  of  '  The  Philosophy  of  Disenchantment,' " 
he  answered. 

"1  have  never  heard  of  him  before,  nor  of  that  book. 
Why  do  you  object  to  his  writings?  " 

"Because  he  is  a  cynic,  who  deplores  the  existence  of 
enthusiasm  in  human  nature." 

"  Poor  man  !  I  am  sorry  for  him ;  but  I  am  glad  you 
have  given  me  warn'ng,  for  I  do  not  wish  to  be  disen 
chanted." 

"I  fear  that  I  will  never  be,"  he  said.  And  he  said  it 
with  so  earnest  a  glance  into  her  frank,  brown  eyes  that 
she  did  not  need  or  ask  for  the  interpretation  of  his  re 
mark.  To  change  the  drift  of  the  conversation  she 
asked  him : 

"  Do  you  know  what  State  we  are  in?  " 

"The  state  of  bliss,"  he  replied,  and  laughed  as  if  to 
leave  her  in  doubt  as  to  whether  he  was  jesting  or  in 
earnest. 

"  This  island  is  in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,"  she 
answered,  not  heeding  his  suggestion,  "and  Appledore, 
over  there,  belongs  to  Maine." 

"Indeed!  1  did  not  know  that  geographical  fact.  How 
did  it  happen?" 

Mary  looked  up  with  a  glance  that  signified  a  half- 
provoked  feeling.  "  Does  this  young  gentleman  think  me 
an  ignoramus,  or  is  he  quizzing  me?  "  she  asked  herself. 
But  Lee's  face  was  an  enigma  ;  so  she  answered : 

"The  guide-book  will  tell  you  all  about  it,  Mr.  Lee." 

"Pardon  me,  Miss  Mary,  I  meant  no  offense;  indeed  I 
did  not." 

His  face  showed  such  contrition,  was  so  free  from  badi 
nage,  that  she  relented,  and  said :  "At  any  rate,  I  will 


THE   MODEKN   PARIAH.  65 

say  this  milch :  1  don't  like  the  original  settlers,  or  their 
descendants,  on  these  islands." 

"  Why  not  ?    I  like  everybody  about  here." 

"And  you  have  been  here  a  few  days  only,  but  they 
and  their  descendants  have  been  here  two  centuries.'' 

"And  why  do  you  dislike  them?  " 

"  They  were  Tories  during  the  Eevolutionary  War." 

A  shadow  soemed  to  pass  over  his  fine,  manly  face,  for 
his  thought  was:  "If  she  feels  thus  to  people  who  fought 
against — the  Rebels — for  that  is  what  England  called  the 
Americans  in  1776 — how  great  must  be  her  prejudices 
against  Southern  people."  As  this  thought  greeted  him, 
he  smiled  and  said  : 

"I  quite  agree  with  you;  my  sympathies  were  always 
with  the  Rebels." 

She  looked  up  at  him  with  surprise.  "That  is  unfor 
tunate,"  she  said ;  "  mine  never  were." 

"  B;jg  pardon,  Miss  Mary,  you  have  just  spoken  to  the 
contrary." 

"Oh!  you  mean — " 

"The  Rebels  of  1776;  your  forefathers  and  mine,"  he 
answered  laughing;  for  he  did  not  wish  to  have  any  dis 
cussion  with  this  lovely  girl  about  1  ho  Civil  War.  Mary 
laughed,  too,  as  she  appreciated  how  skilfully  he  had 
parried  a  possible  quarrel. 

"Pardon  my  mistake;  we  are  not  responsible  for  the 
mistakes  of  others,"  she  answered.  And  thus  this  acci 
dental  reference  to  the  word  "rebel"  was  passed  over 
blithely. 

They  were  seated  upon  a  large  rock  overlooking  the 
sea,  the  great  white-capped  waves  breaking  against  its 
base,  as  they  looked  forth  upon  the  vast  expanse  of 
ocean.  A  bright  color  glowed  in  her  cheeks  as  the  brac 
ing  breeze  blew  her  unfastened  tresses  to  and  fro ;  while 
she  vainly  tried  to  adjust  them. 

A  happy  smile  greeted  his  eyes  as  ho  said  to  her: 
"  L'lease  let  your  hair  alone,  Miss  Mary;  I  declare  it  is 
the  loveliest  hair  I  ever  saw." 

She  blushed  as  she  answered:  "I  thought  you  were 
superior  to  flattery,  Mr.  Lee." 

"And  I  am;  but  I  repeat  that  your  tresses  are  the 
loveliest  I  ever  saw,  and  1  will  go  even  further  and  say 

M.  P.- 5 


66  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

that  they  suit  the  wearer  best  when  loosened  thus.  In 
deed,  I  think  fashion  is  far  too  arbitrary,  in  that  it  regu 
lates  how  women  shall  wear  their  'glory.'  " 

"Then  you  think—" 

11  That  nature  beats  art  in  arranging  your  hair, "  said 
Lee,  interrupting  her. 

She  blushed  again,  for  his  eyes  seemed  to  foretoken  a 
declaration  then  and  there.  But  just  then  she  looked 
seaward  and  exclaimed:  "  Ah  !  there  they  come,  and  see! 
Amanda  has  an  oar;  doesn'tshe  handle  it  dexterously?" 

Lee  was  annoyed  at  this  interruption  of  the  first  pri 
vate  tete-ii-t('te  which  he  had  had  with  Mary  Windoin, 
but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  the  "dory"  containing 
Windom,  DuBose  and  Amanda  rounded  a  point  in  the 
line  of  their  vision  to  seek  a  landing  in  quieter  waters. 

"Do  you  think  our  girls  strongrninded,  Mr.  Lee?" 
Mary  asked,  determined  not  to  allow  him  to  talk  more 
about  herself. 

"  Yes,  but  I  like  it,"  he  answered.  "  I  mean  that  there 
is  a  difference  between  strongmindedness,  as  you  New 
England  girls  interpret  the  term,  and  a  masculine  man 
ner,  which  is  implied  when  one  alludes  to  'Woman's 
Rights'  women." 

"  Then  you  don'tlike  the  idea  of  '  Woman's  Rights? '  " 

"Not  when  it  is  asserted  by  women.  If  there  is  any 
thing  which  detracts  from  the  loveliness  of  woman,  I 
think  it  is  self-assertion,  particularly  on  the  rostrum. 
The  bible  is  right,  women  were  not  intended  to  be 
public  speakers  or  preachers.'' 

"So  you  think  we  .should  go  through  life — 

"Just  as  lovely  woman  did  in  the  days  of  chivalry," 
said  Lee,  interrupting  her  again. 

"But  men  are  not  as  chivalric  in  these  prosaic  days 
as  they  were  then." 

"  Yes,  they  are,  wherever  women  decide  that  they  shall 
be.  It  all  rests  with  the  gentler  sex  whether  man  shall 
be  a  bear  or  given  to  the  gentlest  courtesies,  which  I 
think  are  due  to  women." 

Her  smile,  and  the  evident  approval  thereby  con 
veyed,  rewarded  this  speech,  and  he  continued: 

"Now,  imagine,  if  you  can,  a  'Woman's  Rights'  ad 
vocate  in  Rebecca's  place  in  the  estimation  of  Ivan- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  67 

hoe !  What  knight  in  the  days  of  chivalry  would  fancy 
such  a  creature?  How  could  he  fall  in  love  with 
her?" 

"And  you  think  such  love  possible  in  these  days?" 

"Yes,  indeed;  where  the  lover  is  a  gentleman  senti 
ment  is  most  ennobled  by  the  same  chivalric  traits. 
And  I  think  that  all  manly  men  are  governed  to  a 
large  extent  by  sentiment. 

"  [  witnessed  a  striking  illustration  of  this  power  of 
woman  to  mould  the  conduct  of  men  while  I  was  in  the 
little  Republic  of  Salvador  in  Central  America.  Fully 
ninety  per  cent,  of  the  people  are  descendants  of  the 
Aztecs — those  ancient  people  who,  according  to  your 
friend  Professor  Von  Donhoff,  peopled  ancient  America 
at  least  two  thousand  years  ago." 

"Do  you  believe  that?  "  asked  Mary. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  believe;  they  themselves  affirm 
it,  but  I  am  sufficiently  American  not  to  bother  my  head 
about  abstract  propositions  or  archaeological  investiga 
tions.  The  present  is  good  enough  for  me — especially  this 
hour  and  place  and  company." 

"  Is  Salvador  interesting  in  itself?  "  she  asked,  blushing 
as  she  spoke. 

"To  me  Salvador  was  intensely  interesting.  The 
country  is  densely  peopled,  and  so  well  cultivated  that 
even  the  mountain  sides  neem  like  market-gardens.  I 
saw  one  hundred  and  fifty  varieties  of  fruit  in  one  garden ; 
and  the  climate  is  so  delicious  that  it  is  a  luxury  to 
breathe." 

"  Oh!  how  I  should  like  1o  see  it,"  said  Mary. 

"We  will  go  there  some  day,"  said  Lee. 

"  Don't  be  too  sure  of  that ;  it  may  be  safer  for  you  to 
omit  the  word  'v>e,'  Mr.  Lee.  What  kind  of  people  are 
$the  Aztecs?" 

"My  friend,  the  United  States  Minister,  assured  me 
that  they  were  the  most  amiable  and  truthful  people  he 
had  ever  known,  and  he  has  traveled  over  three  conti 
nents.  The}'  are  very  musical,  too,  and  every  evening  a 
splendid  band  of  sixty  musicians,  superior  to  the  baud 
here  or  at  Saratoga  1  think,  play  in  the  plaza  near  the 
President's  palace.  They  are  yellow  people  like  the 
Chinese,  but  have  none  of  the  Mongolian  features,  having 


68  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

Greek  faces,  with  straight  eyes  and  aquiline  noses,  and 
the  women  are  beautiful,  very  many  of  them." 

"How  did  you  keep  from  falling  in  love  with  some  of 
them?" 

"The  Aztecs  are  practically  all  slaves;  you  don't  think 
I  could  fall  in  love  with  a  slave,  do  you?  " 

"Slaves!  why  I  did  not  think  that  there  were  any 
slaves  in  America,  since  the  poor  negroes  in  the  South 
were  emancipated." 

"They  are  not  legally  slaves,  as  our  slaves  were,  but 
are  peons,  like  the  peons  of  Mexico.  But  the  result  is  the 
same.  The  laws  are  so  devised  that  they  are  bound  to 
the  soil  and  thechacrn  or  hacienda,  where  they  were  born, 
all  their  lives.  All  the  land  and  houses  belong  to  the 
Don,  and  according  to  the  law,  no  man  can  leave  the 
place  where  he  has  contracted  a  debt  until  he  has  paid  it. 
By  concert  of  action  the  laborers  are  permitted  to  re 
ceive  nine  soles  a  month,  and  no  more,  and  this  is  insuf 
ficient  for  their  sustenance." 

"  How  much  is  that?  "  asked  this  young  heiress,  accus 
tomed  to  having  her  checks  honored  without  question. 

"About  four  dollars,"  he  replied.  "As  he  cannot  live 
on  that  sum,  he  is  bound  to  go  in  debt  or  starve,  so  that 
these  gentes,  or  ppons,  become  slaves  for  life." 

"It  is  infamous! "  said  Mary.  "  But  they  do  not  sepa 
rate  families  as  they  did  in  the  Southern  States — they 
can't  do  that,  can  they?" 

"Oh,  yes.  quite  as  often  as  it  was  done  in  the  South. 
But  I  never  knew  of  one  case  of  that  kind  in  all  1113'  life," 
said  Lee. 

"1  am  surprised  and  pleased  to  hear  you  say  that," 
she  answered. 

"You  thought  all  slaveholders  were  very,  very  wicked, 
did  you — judged  a  whole  people,  and  a  very  generous 
people,  by  the  acts  of  the  few  notorious  scoundrels?  " 

"No,  not  so  bad  as  that — indeed,!  have  never  given 
the  subject  any  thought  until  now.  But  tell  me  how  the 
Salvadorians  can  do  it !  " 

"  If  a  man  wishes  to  buy  a  new  haciendu  and  stock  it 
with  peons,  he  has  to  go  to  some  rich  Spanish  landholder 
who  has  a  well-stocked  hacienda—  where  there  aie  peonE 
in  plenty,"  he  explained. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  69 

"That  sounds  better.  The  way  you  first  expressed  it 
sounded  like  a  cattle-pen,  but  well  stocked  implies  a 
comparison  of  human  beings  with  beasts  of  burden,'' 
she  answered. 

"  Very  well,  let  us  call  it  what  you  please.  He  has  to  go 
to  a  well-stocked — " 

Mary  laughed.  "There  it  is    again,"  she  said. 

"  Hacienda,,''  continued  Lee,good-humoredly, "  pay  the 
debts  of  such  peons  as  he  selects,  thereby  transferring  the 
peon  with  his  obligation  and  bond  of  servitude  from  one 
master  to  anothpr." 

"  Whether  tho  peon  desires  it  or  not?  "  she  asked. 

"Certainly;  and  this  is  true  throughout  Spanish 
America." 

" It  is  horrible !"  said  Mary  impulsively.  "Iflwasa 
man  I  would  dedicate  my  life  to  freeing  those  poor  people! 
I  would  try  to  do  for  them  what  Wendell  Phillips  and 
other  unselfish  abolitionists  did  for  the  negro  race."  Then 
she  remembered  tha  t  she  was  speaking  to  the  son  of  a  slave 
holder,  and  said :  "  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Lee,  I  forgot — " 

"  Keep  it  up!  continue  to  forget.  I  like  you  a  thousand 
times  more  for  your  impulsive  generosity,"  he  replied 
with  ardor  equal  to  her  own.  "Indeed,  Miss  Mary,  you 
have  touched  my  one  weakness,  my  '  hobby,'  that  fool 
ish  dream  of  mine  to  bring  about  the  annexation  of 
Salvador  to  the  United  States  in  order  that  these  de 
scendants  of  a  highly  civilized  people  shall  be  freed  from 
slavery.  It  is  far  more  galling  to  them  than  it  ever  was 
to  the  African,  whose  ancestors  have  been  ignorant 
slaves  from  the  dawn  of  time." 

"  Please  go  on ;  I  wish  to  hear  all  that  you  can  tell  me 
about  your '  hobby.'  It  is  a  noble  one,  whether  it  is  ever 
realized  or  not." 

"  Well,  I  will  resume  where  I  left  off  when  your  chance 
remark  led  me  away  from  the  illustration  which  I  wished 
to  give  you.  There  are  only  eight  per  cent,  of  the  peo 
ple  who  are  of  Spanish  descent,  and  who  own  all  the 
realty — lands  and  houses  that  are  as  untaxed  as  Gov 
ernment  bonds  are  here.  They  also  hold  all  the  offices, 
make  all  the  laws,  and  do  all  the  governing,  just  as  the 
bond-holding,  tariff-created  plutocracy  is  now  doing  in 
this  country.  All  the  realty  of  tke  country  was  con- 


70  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

fiscated  by  Alvarado,  the  brutal  representative  of 
Cortez,  who  distributed  it  among  his  followers  and  has 
been  held  by  their  descendants  and  his  successors  since. 
The  worst  of  these  so-called  'presidents'  of  the  hapless 
and  densely  peopled  little  country  of  Salvador,  was  one 
who  was  president  a  few  years  ago.  This  corrupt  official 
sold  his  country  to  the  Guatemalan  dictator  for  three 
million  dollars,  who  advanced  with  an  army  to  take 
possession.  The  Guatemalans  are  nearly  all  of  them 
Indians,  and  are  as  savage  and  brutal  as  the  Indians  on 
our  Western  frontiers.  The  people  rose  as  one  man,  killed 
the  Guatemalan  president,  and  annihilated  his  army. 
The  Guatemalans  make  raids  constantly,  and  burn, 
destroy,  and  kill  inoffensive  people  in  Salvador,  and 
are  much  feared  by  them. 

"  While  I  was  at  the  capital,  San  Salvador,  I  saw  sev 
eral  thousand  women  appear  in  the  Market  Place,  where 
they  assemble  every  morning  to  sell  fruits  and  vegetables. 
Ou  the  occasion  referred  to,  there  were  fully  four  thou 
sand  of  them,  for  it  was  rumored  that  a  great  army  of 
Guatemalans,  fifteen  thousand  strong,  had  assembled 
on  the  frontier  and  would  march  toward  the  capital  that 
day.  The  Salvadorian  army  consisted  of  twenty-five 
hundred  soldiers, and  so  demoralized  had  the  people  been 
made  by  the  sudden  news  that  the  men  had  fled  to  the 
mountains,  leaving  their  families  to  the  mercy  of  the 
invaders." 

"  The  cowards !  "  exclaimed  Mary. 

Lee  smiled  in  assent,  and  continued  :  "Amid  the  gen 
eral  consternation,  which  was  evidenced  on  every  face,  as 
these  four  thousand  women  heard  and  discussed  the 
news,  a  tall,  graceful,  and  exceedingly  handsome  young 
Aztec  woman  named  Margarita  Aj'la,  mounted  on  a 
table  near  the  place  where  our  minister  and  I  were  stand 
ing,  and  began  to  address  them.  She  told  them  that 
their  husbands,  fathers,  and  brothers  had  fled  and  left 
them  exposed  to  a  fate  worse  than  death.  They  grouped 
around  her,  eagerly  listening  to  a  speech  which  gradu 
ally  became  one  of  the  most  impassioned  appeals  I  ever 
heard.  The  minister  translated  it  to  me  as  she  spoke, 
and  I  could  see  that  he.  a  former  Confederate  officer  of 
distinction,  sympathized  with  every  word  that  she 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  71 

uttered.  Finally,  she  cried:  'Follow  me,  my  sisters!  Let 
us  go  to  the  President  and  appeal  to  him  to  give  us  the 
arms  that  our  men  should  have  demanded,  and  we  will 
meet  these  ruthless  invaders  and  die  fighting  for  our 
country,  rather  than  submit  to  a  fate  far  worse  than 
death ! ' ' 

" Did  they  do  it?  "  eagerly  asked  Mary. 

Lee  smiled  and  continued:  "We  followed  them,  and 
saw  the  President  as  he  came  forth  and  greeted  them  as 
his  'children,'  and  assured  them  that  they  need  not  be 
afraid,  as  he  would  lead  his  army  of  twenty-five  hundred 
men  and  protect  them  at  all  hazards. 

"'We  are  not  afraid,  senor,  our  father,'  replied  Mar 
garita,  '  but  we  have  come  to  offer  our  services.  Give  us 
the  five  thousand  guns  which  our  husbands  and  brothers 
and  sons  should  have  demanded,  and  we  will  join  your 
army  and  defeat  the  cursed  Guatemalans ! ' ' 

Mary  clapped  her  hands. 

"Why,  you  are  as  bad  as  our  so-called  'Rebel'  girls 
were,  Miss  Mary.  I  really  believe  that  you  would  have 
joined  Margarita's  band  if  you  had  been  present." 

"Go  on  with  your  story,  Mr.  Lee.  It  is  intensely 
interesting,"  she  replied,  smiling  with  excitement. 

"The  President  told  them  that  he  approved  of  their 
course  and,  if  they  would  assemble  there  the  next  morn 
ing  he  would  give  them  the  arms." 

"  Did  he  do  it?  "  she  asked. 

"  The  next  morning  the  arms  and  ammunition  having 
been  secured  for  them,  they  assembled  at  nine  o'clock  to 
receive  them.  But  the  news  had  spread  to  the  mountains, 
meanwhile,  and  before  daylight  ten  thousand  men  had 
besieged  the  President's  palace  and  pleaded  to  be  enrolled 
in  the  army  immediately.  Two  thousand  of  the  women 
accompanied  them  to  the  frontier  and  the  Guatemalans 
fled  without  giving  battle.  Thus  one  woman  made  ten 
thousand  men  ashamed  of  their  cowardice.  Men  are  just 
what  you  women  wish  them  to  be." 

"Margarita  deserves  a  monument!  "  said  Mary. 

"Exactly  so;  and  when  1  get  my  consent  to  emulate 
your  Wendell  Phillips  and  start  a  crusade  to  free  those 
Aztecs  from  their  priest-ridden  conquistadors,  will  you 
join  me?" 


70  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

fiscated  by  Alvarado,  the  brutal  representative  of 
Cortez,  who  distributed  it  among  his  followers  nnd  has 
been  held  by  their  descendants  and  his  successors  since. 
The  worst  of  these  so-called  'presidents' of  the  hapless 
and  densely  peopled  little  country  of  Salvador,  was  one 
who  was  president  a  few  years  ago.  This  corrupt  official 
sold  his  country  to  the  Guatemalan  dictator  for  three 
million  dollars,  who  advanced  with  an  army  to  take 
possession.  The  Guatemalans  are  nearly  all  of  them 
Indians,  and  are  as  savage  and  brutal  as  the  Indians  on 
our  Western  frontiers.  The  people  rose  as  one  man,  killed 
the  Guatemalan  president,  and  annihilated  his  army. 
The  Guatemalans  make  raids  constantly,  and  burn, 
destroy,  and  kill  inoffensive  people  in  Salvador,  and 
are  much  feared  by  them. 

"While  I  was  at  the  capital,  San  Salvador,  I  saw  sev 
eral  thousand  women  appear  in  the  Market  Place,  where 
they  assemble  every  morning  to  Fell  fruits  and  vegetables. 
On  the  occasion  referred  to,  there  were  fully  four  thou 
sand  of  them,  for  it  was  rumored  that  a  great  army  of 
Guatemalans,  fifteen  thousand  strong,  had  assembled 
on  the  frontier  and  would  march  toward  the  capital  that 
day.  The  Salvadorian  army  consisted  of  twenty-five 
hundred  soldiers, and  so  demoralized  had  the  people  been 
made  by  the  sudden  news  that  the  men  had  fled  to  the 
mountains,  leaving  their  families  to  the  mercy  of  the 
invaders." 

"The  cowards!  "  exclaimed  Mary. 

Lee  smiled  in  assent,  and  continued  :  "Amid  the  gen 
eral  consternation,  which  was  evidenced  on  every  face,  as 
these  four  thousand  women  heard  and  discussed  the 
news,  a  tall,  graceful,  and  exceedingly  handsome  young 
Aztec  woman  named  Margarita,  Ayla,  mounted  on  a 
table  near  the  place  where  our  minister  and  I  were  stand 
ing,  and  began  to  address  them.  She  told  them  that 
their  husbands,  fathers,  and  brothers  had  fled  and  left 
them  exposed  to  a  fate  worse  than  death.  They  grouped 
around  her,  eagerly  listening  to  a  speech  which  gradu 
ally  beca,me  one  of  the  most  impassioned  appeals  I  ever 
heard.  The  minister  translated  it  to  me  as  she  spoke, 
and  I  could  see  that  he.  n  former  Confederate  officer  of 
distinction,  sympathized  with  every  word  that  she 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  71 

uttered.  Finally,  she  cried:  'Follow  me,  my  sisters!  Let 
us  go  to  the  President  and  appeal  to  him  to  give  us  the 
arms  that  our  men  should  have  demanded,  and  we  will 
meet  these  ruthless  invaders  and  die  fighting  for  our 
country,  rather  than  submit  to  a  fate  far  worse  than 
death ! ' ' 

" Did  they  do  it?  "  eagerly  asked  Mary. 

Lee  smiled  and  continued:  "We  followed  them,  and 
saw  the  President  as  he  came  forth  and  greeted  them  as 
his  'children,'  and  assured  them  that  they  need  not  be 
afraid,  as  he  would  lead  his  army  of  twenty-five  hundred 
men  and  protect  them  at  all  hazards. 

'"We  are  not  afraid,  sew  or,  our  father,'  replied  Mar 
garita,  '  but  we  have  come  to  offer  our  services.  Give  us 
the  five  thousand  guns  which  our  husbands  and  brothers 
and  sons  should  have  demanded,  and  we  will  join  your 
army  and  defeat  the  cursed  Guatemalans ! ' ' 

Mary  clapped  her  hands. 

"Why,  you  are  as  bad  as  our  so-called  'Rebel'  girls 
were,  Miss  Mary.  I  really  believe  that  you  would  have 
joined  Margarita's  band  if  you  had  been  present." 

"Go  on  with  your  story,  Mr.  Lee.  It  is  intensely 
interesting,"  she  replied,  smiling  with  excitement. 

"The  President  told  them  that  he  approved  of  their 
course  and,  if  they  would  assemble  there  the  next  morn 
ing  he  would  give  them  the  arms." 

"Did  he  do  it?"  she  asked. 

"  The  next  morning  the  arms  and  ammunition  having 
been  secured  for  them,  they  assembled  at  nine  o'clock  to 
receive  them.  But  the  news  had  spread  to  the  mountains, 
meanwhile,  and  before  daylight  ten  thousand  men  had 
besieged  the  President's  palace  and  pleaded  to  be  enrolled 
in  the  army  immediately.  Two  thousand  of  the  women 
accompanied  them  to  the  frontier  and  the  Guatemalans 
fled  without  giving  battle.  Thus  one  woman  made  ten 
thousand  men  ashamed  of  their  cowardice.  Men  are  just 
what  you  women  wish  them  to  be." 

"Margarita  deserves  a  monument!  "  said  Mary. 

"Exactly  so;  and  when  I  get  my  consent  to  emulate 
your  Wendell  Phillips  and  start  a  crusade  to  free  those 
Aztecs  from  their  priest-ridden  conquistadors,  will  you 
join  me?" 


72  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"You  would  certainly  have  my  sympathies,"  she 
answered,  and  then  she  laughed  with  a  silvery  laughter 
that  seemed  music  to  him  as  she  said :  "  How  very  droll !  " 

11  What  is  droll?  Explain  yourself." 

"  The  idea  of  the  son  of  a  slaveholder  thus  assuming 
the  role  of  an  abolitionist." 

"There  is  no  telling  what  you  could  make  me  do,"  he 
answered. 

He  saw  their  friends  approaching  at  this  moment  and 
added:  "I  am  so  much  indebted  to  your  brother  for 
suggesting  the  'Isles  of  Shoals'  as  the  objective  point  of 
our  little  tour;  it  is  the  most  charming  place  for  a  pleas 
ure  party  of  congenial  friends  that  I  know." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  she  said.  "  I  love  the  sea  as  I 
do  nothing  else  in  nature;  it  is  so  free,  so  bold,  so  dash 
ing,  so  boundless,  that  it  ennobles  one's  best  aspira 
tions." 

"At  this  place  it  does  even  more — it  inculcates  a  fear 
lessness  upon  the  part  of  ladies  in  venturing  out  in  these 
1  dories'  that  I  have  never  known  to  exist  elsewhere." 

Mary  smiled,  as  she  thouglit  that  this  was  said  more  in 
a  spirit  of  loyalty  than  an  a  fact. 

"Speaking  of  human  'bears,'"  said  Mary,  "what  do 
you  think  of  our  friend,  Professor  Von  Donhoff?  " 

"I  think  you  are  quite  right  in  likening  him  to  a  bear; 
the  old  doctrine  of  metempsychosis  is  reversed  in  his 
case;  instead  of  the  man's  going  into  a  beast,  the  bear 
has  been  metamorphosed  in  the  person  of  this  German- 
American  professor. 

"  Oh,  you  do  him  injustice!  He  is  only  a  bear  in  man 
ner;  he  is  a  large-hearted,  generous  man;  wait  until 
you  see  how  gentle  is  his  manner  to  Amanda  at  her 
home,  and  you  will  change  your  opinion." 

"If  that  is  to  be  the  test,  I  have  seen  it  already;  but 
who  could  be  otherwise  with  Miss  Amanda?  I  think  she 
is  one  of  the  sweetest  tempered  and  most  attractive 
young  ladies  I  ever  met." 

"  For  once  we  agree ;  that  is  my  opinion,  and  I  have 
known  her  all  her  life.  But,  aside  from  Amanda, it  seems 
a  pity  that  Professor  Von  Donhoff  should  not  have 
stopped  here  and  enjoyed  this  lovely  place,  instead  of 
going  on  to  the  White  Mountains." 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  73 

"I  think  he  realized  that 'two  is  company,' but  six  a 
very  uncongenial  crowd.  For  my  part  I  am  glad  that  he 
was  considerate  enough  to  leave  us." 

,"  See  that  vessel  in  the  distance,"  she  said ;  "  can  any 
thing  be  prettier  than  a  ship  with  all  sails  set,  going  out 
to  sea?" 

"Only  one  thing,  I  think,  Miss  Mary,"  he  answered, 
looking  steadily  at  her  as  he  spoke. 

"Fiddlesticks!  Mr.  Lee,  have  you  no  appreciation  of 
this  wonderful  landscape?  I  think  it  is  perfectly  lovely." 

"So  do  1;  the  very  loveliest  little  spot  on  earth,"  he 
answered,  laughing  as  her  blushes  told  him  that  she  un 
derstood  him.  But  realizing  that  even  courtship,  half 
veiled  as  his  was,  has  its  limits,  headded  :  "  I  believe  these 
Islesof  Shoals  are  unique;  there  isno  place  likethemthat 
1  know  of;  but  what  suggested  these  rocks,  ten  miles  out 
at  sea,  as  a  site  for  splendid  hotels?  " 

"I  would  say  perfection  in  temperature  and  landscape." 

"Waterscape,"  suggested  Lee. 

"Scapegrace!"  retorted  Mary  Windom. 

"  I  think  we  had  better  leave  them,  Miss  Amanda,"  said 
DuBose,  as  the  party  reached  the  rock  on  which  Lee  and 
Mary  were  perched.  "When  a  young  lady  gets  well 
enough  acquainted  with  a  young  gentleman  to  call  him 
a  '  scapegrace,'  matters  are  getting  serious." 

Lee  laughed  gaily  as  he  heard  this  sally  from  his'rival, 
as  he  supposed  DuBose  to  be. 

"What  are  you  quarreling  about?"  asked  Amanda 
playfully. 

"She  calls  this  a  landscape,"  said  Lee,  with  a  sweep  of 
his  arm  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass ;  "while  I  insist 
that  it  is  a  water-scape." 

"And  he  hasn't  one  bit  of  appreciation  of  scenery," 
said  Mary,  archly. 

"  Haven't  1?  Just  put  me  on  the  Alps,  all  by  myself, 
and  I  assure  you,  Miss  Amanda,  that  nobody  can  admire 
more  than  I  do  the  snow-clad  peaks,  gorges,  mer-de-glace, 
and  all  that,"  said  Lee. 

Amanda  laughed,  and  answered :  "I  never  knew  before 
that  solitude  was  necessary  for  appreciating  the  true, 
the  beautiful,  and  the  good." 

">so;  it  takes  two  for  that;  but  for  looking  from 


74  THE   MODERN   PARIAB. 

Nature  to  Nature's  God — scenery  in  short — one  can  do  it 
better  alone." 

And  thus  they  passed  two  delightful  weeks,  and,  to 
Carter  Lee's  credit  be  it  said,  no  one  appreciated  and 
enjoyed  more  than  he  the  lovely  scenery  and  bracing  air 
of  the  Isles  of  Shoals  off  the  coast  of  New  Hampshire. 

And  in  these  two  weeks  Mary  had  been  converted  from 
the  error  of  her  ways,  and  was  as  demurely  happy  when 
Carter  Lee  was  present  as  it  is  proper  for  such  charming 
•naidens  to  be.  Meanwhile,  Amanda  still  "held  the  fort," 
and  Windom,  Dr.  DuBose  and  Professor  Von  Donhoff 
were  all  devoted.  But  Carter  Lee  had  not  felt  at  liberty 
to  express,  verbally,  what  every  look  and  a  thousand 
little  delicate  attentions  made  perfectly  evident  to  Mary, 
and  she  was  content. 

Windom,  however,  was  moody  and  did  himself  great 
injustice,  for  he  imagined  that  Lee  was  interested  in 
Amanda,,  and  that  she  reciprocated  his  admiration.  In 
truth,  Amanda,  was  provokingly  complaisant  to  Lee. 

Whether  Mrs.  Adams,  as  the  chaperon  of  the  party, 
had  cautioned  Mary  Windom  as  to  the  propriety  of  be 
ing  too  often  alone  with  any  young  gentleman  at  a  sum 
mer  resort  like  that  at  "  Appledore,"  or  whether  she  had 
indicated  her  desire  that  Lee's  attentions  should  be  less 
devoted  to  her,  by  that  delicate  freemasonary  known  to 
lovers,  which  needs  but  a  glance  to  interpret  a  volume 
of  unuttered  thoughts,  is  not  known,  but  there  seemed  a 
tacit  agreement  between  them  that  he  might  be  Aman 
da's  escort  as  often  as  possible,  but  not  her  especial 
attendant,  at  least  until  he  had  visited  her  at  her  home. 

One  evening,  though,  Amanda  was  playing  whist  in  a 
game  in  which  Windom  and  DuBose  participated,  and 
they  promenaded  along  the  wide  verandas  of  the  hotel 
where  hundreds  of  guests  were  seated  listening  to  the 
music.  A  sudden  gust  of  wind  unfastened  the  light 
shawl  which  she  wore  and,  as  he  placed  it  gently  around 
her  superb  shoulders,  his  eyes  met  hers  in  one  look  of 
tenderest  love,  which  was  met  by  a  glance  as  trustful 
from  the  beautiful  girl  as  any  lover  could  desire.  The 
wistful  witchery  of  love  reciprocated  enveloped  them, 
and  the  hundreds  around  them  and  the  glorioixs  music 
were  obliterated  for  the  time  as  if  they  two  were  alone, 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  75 

and  all  their  thoughts  were  expressed.  A  month  of 
ordinary  happiness  seemed  concentrated  this  evening 
at  this  moment  of  passionate  love,  and  Lee  could  refrain 
no  longer  from  giving  utterance  to  his  feelings. 

"If  I  should  express  all  that  I  feel,  Miss  Mary,  would 
you  be  offended  ?  Could  you  bid  me  leave  you ,  a  sadder 
but  a  wiser  man? 

"  Do  I  look  as  if  I  was  offended,  Mr.  Lee?  You  do  not 
need  that  assurance,  but  please  do  not  say  more  now. 
Wait  until  you  can  visit  me  at  my  home.  I  wish  my 
mother  to  know  you.  I  am  sure  that  she  will  like  you." 

What  more  could  a  lover  desire?  His  spirits  were 
as  bright  and  gay  as  the  strains  of  the  "  Blue  Danube" 
waltz,  which  was  being  played  by  the  band,  and  which,  it 
seemed  to  Lee,  had  never  been  so  beautifully  rendered 
before. 

Thus  the  summer  days  and  nights  were  passed  delight 
fully,  for  these  islands  are  far  enough  in  the  ocean  to  be 
long  wholly  to  it,  and  yet  are  close  enough  to  land  to  be 
in  hourly  communication  with  it. 

They  made  occasional  excursions,  and  one  day  visited 
llye  Beach  where  Lee  saw  Harvard  students  acting  as 
waiters  at  the  dinner  table.  He  refrained  from  crit 
icising  this  servile  employment  of  scholars  serving  in  the 
capacity  of  menials,  because  the  rest  of  the  party 
seemed  to  regard  it  quite  as  a  matter  of  course,  with 
one  exception.  That  exception  was  Professor  Von  Don- 
hoff,  who  was  severe  in  his  criticism  of  this  and  other 
American  customs.  He  seemed  to  be  considered  as  the 
privileged  member  of  the  party,  who  was  at  liberty  to 
say  what  he  pleased.  Dr.  DuBose  took  exception  to 
some  of  his  caustic  remarks,  and  an  acrimonious  debate 
seemed  imminent,  when  Amanda,  without  championing 
the  Professor's  side  of  the  argument,  by  her  very  gentle 
ness  relieved  the  situation  and  turned  the  conversation 
into  pleasanter  channels.  It  seemed  to  Lee  like  pouring 
oil  on  the  troubled  waters,  and  his  respect  was  added  to 
his  admiration  for  Amanda.  The  Professor  left  them 
the  next  day  for  a  brief  visit  to  the  White  Mountains, 


76  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 


XI. 

All  were  impressed  with  one  remarkable  fact,  which 
even  Lee  admitted,  and  that  was  the  very  great  resem 
blance  between  himself  and  Amanda. 

"It  is  one  of  those  unaccountable  things  past  finding 
out,"  he  answered,  as  Mary  assured  him  that  they  were 
enough  alike  to  be  brother  and  sister.  "  I  only  hope, 
Miss  Mary,  tha,t  you  will  learn  to  like  me  as  well  as  you 
do  Miss  Amanda." 

"I  cannot  promise  that,  for  Amanda  is  my  dearest 
friend  ;  but,"  she  added  coquettishly,  "  I  will  try  to  like 
you." 

He  smiled,  as  he  answered :  "  Cold  comfort  that,  Miss 
Mary,  when  I  tell  you  that  before  this  year  is  out,  I  am 
going  to  prove  to  you  that  I  am  utterly  at  your  mercy." 

And  thus  matters  stood  when  they  returned  to  New 
Haven  in  time  to'attend  the  lecture  to  be  delivered  by 
Bishop  Hunter,  the  former  slave  of  Carter  Lee's  father. 
Lee  escorted  Amanda,,  and  the  colored  bishop  was  intro 
duced  by  Professor  Von  Donhoff .  His  lecture,  in  behalf  of 
an  emigrant  fund  for  the  return  of  such  of  his  race  in 
America  as  wished  to  return  to  Africa,  was  eloquently 
delivered,  and  at  its  close,  Lee  introduced  him  to  his 
friends. 

Colonel  Adams  and  Professor  Von  Donhoff  had  gone  to- 
together  to  hear  this  famous  colored  orator  and  ex-United 
States  Minister  to  Liberia,  Bishop  Hunter.  The  next 
evening  Amanda  was'entertaining  her  friend  and  admirer, 
Dr.  DuBose,  as  they  entered  the  parlor.  The  conversation 
of  Professor  Von  Donhoff  always  interested  Colonel 
Adams,  who  enjoyed  that  intellectual  combativeness 
peculiar  to  characters  to  whom  learning  had  been  a 
life  object.  It  was  refreshing  to  turn  from  the  abstract 
science  of  law  as  applied  to  the  practical  details  of  life, 
to  the  theories  of  a  student  as  profound,  and  yet 
egotistical,  as  was  this  grizzled  veteran  whose  shaggy 
eyebrows  almost  reached  over  his  eyes.  Thus  it  hap 
pened  that  the  Professor  dined  with  Colonel  Adams,  and 
Amanda  also  invited  her  friend,  Dr.  DuBose,  who  had 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  77 

known  the  Professor  when  he  was  a  student  at  Yale 
College. 

Professor  Von  Donhoff  s  massive  frame  and  broad,  pro 
truding  forehead,  beetling  eyebrows  and  firm-set  jaws, 
seemed  too  aggressive  to  suggest  that  he  could  ever  be 
Amanda's  lover.  In  his  countenance  one  saw  will,  cour 
age  and  intellect ;  but  it  needed  no  phrenologist  to  per 
suade  one  that  the  bump  of  reverence  was  sadly  lacking 
on  his  cranium.  He  would  have  made  a  famous  black 
smith  if  he  had  not  been  too  intellectual.  To  the  quiet 
social  life  in  this  university  city  he  was  as  potent  a  dis 
turbing  influence  as  Count  Bismarck  was  as  a  statesman 
to  the  political  world  in  Europe,  and  this  without  mal 
ice. 

With  decided  military  instincts,  he  had  fled  from  Ger 
many  when  quite  a  young  man,  after  having  excelled  as 
a  student  at  Gottingen,  because  he  refused  to  be  forced 
into  military  service,  and  had  imbibed  radical  ideas  of 
the  so-called  "  Rights  of  Man/'  Accident  had  determined 
his  residence  at  New  Haven,  where  the  force  of  his  men 
tal  attainments  secured  for  him  a  chair  in  the  great 
American  university.  For  years  he  had  been  a  favored 
guest  at  the  hospitable  home  of  Colonel  Adams,  who 
amiably  yielded  to  his  peculiarities  without  protest. 
Amanda  was  the  only  person  for  whom  Professor  Von 
Don h off  seemed  to  feel  any  tender  affection,  and  for  her 
this  affection  now  approximated  reverence.  From  her 
childhood  he  had  petted  and  caressed  Amanda,  and  she 
alone  seemed  to  have  the  power  to  make  this  great  hu 
man  bear  as  gentle  as  a  lamb.  Now,  since  she  had  grown 
to  be  a  young  lady,  he  realized  that  the  barriers  of  polite 
society  would  forbid  any  further  "petting,"  and  the 
most  delicate  courtesy  characterized  all  his  speeches  to 
her,  while  his  great  shaggy  eyes,  which  frowned  usually 
like  a  fortress,  seemed  strangely  gentle  when  they  wan 
dered  to  her  lovely  face  and  modest  bearing.  He  seemed 
to  her  quite  like  a  bachelor-uncle,  a  familiar  friend  or 
relative.  To  him  she  seemed  the  impersonation  of  all 
feminine  excellencies,  that  grace,  truth,  refinement  and 
innate  loveliness  of  nature  which  the  strongest  natures 
most  admire. 

Professor  Von  Donhoff,  wb  ether  from  scorn  of  the  petty 


78  THE   MODER^f   PAKIAH. 

conventionalities  which  are  deemed  so  important  by  so 
ciety,  or  from  indifference  to  the  opinions  of  others,  did 
notjliscard  his  bachelor  habits  when  he  visited  friends  in 
New  Haven,  and  was  a  voracious  eater  and  a  garrulous 
talker.  Yet  his  very  brusqueness  of  manner  on  such  oc 
casions  saved  him  from  appearing-  to  be  rude.  He  was 
truthful  to  a  fault — ''painfully  truthful,"  said  Amanda. 

"  You  are  a  doctor,  1  understand,"  said  he,  across  the 
table  to  Dr.  DuBose. 

"  I  am,"  replied  DuBose;  "are  you  not  also  en  titled  to 
be  called  Doctor?" 

"Ah!  yes;  I  took  my  degree  at  Gottingen;  like  your 
self,  I  took  another  degree,  also,  that  of  Bachelor." 

"And,  unlike  yourself,  I  would  like  to  discard  that 
degree/'  said  DuBose. 

"  Ha !  ha !  that  is  good  !  Ex-cel-lent !  "  said  the  Profes 
sor.  "You  will  get  along,  young  man." 

"  We  were  discussing  the  new  theory,  or  what  Mr.  Win- 
dom  would  call  the  new 'fad, ''faith-cure, '"  said  Amanda. 
"Do  you  believe  in  faith-cures,  Professor?" 

"Certainly,  I  do;  'throw  physic  to  the  dogs,'  is  a  wise 
saying,  I  don't  care  whence  it  emanated." 

Dr.  DuBose,  with  admirable  taste,  sought  to  turn  the 
conversation  to  pleasanter  channels,  but  Amanda  had 
started  the  Professor  upon  a  line  of  thought  which  sug 
gested  untold  argument. 

'  "  What  do  you  think  of  the  lectures  that  are  now  being 
delivered  here  by  the  French  quack  doctor,  Dr.  Von 
Donhoff?"  asked  DuBose,  irritated  at  last,  in  spite  of 
his  good  breeding,  by  the  persistency  of  the  Professor. 

"I  agree  with  many  of  his  conclusions,"  he  answered. 
"  There  is  no  doubt  about  it,  hypnotism,  or  animal  mag 
netism  is  the  oidy  rational  wa,y  to  account  for  the  mira,- 
cles  performed  by  Christ,  as  in  accordance  with  natural 
laws." 

Though  greatly  shocked  at  this  sacrilegious  speech, 
Amanda  said :  "  He  is  to  have  what  he  calls  a  seance  to 
morrow  evening,  I  believe." 

"If  it  pleases  you,  Professor,  we  will  attend  it,"  sug 
gested  Colonel  Adams. 

"Would  it  be  agreenble  to  you  to  attend  it  also,  Doc 
tor,"  said  Amanda  to  DuBose. 


THE  MODERN   PARIAH.  ?9 

"Oh,  yes;  but  I  think  an  hour's  talk  with  you  will  be 
much  more  interesting  than  anything  this  adventurer 
will  say,"  replied  DuBose. 

"  Have  you  investigated  the  subject,  sir?  "  queried  the 
Professor. 

"  Partially  only,  but  enough  to  satisfy  me  that  the  re 
port  of  the  commission  charged  by  the  King  of  France 
to  investigate  the  doctrine  advanced  by  Mesmer,  one 
hundred  years  ago,  was  correct.  I  am  aware,  however, 
that  a  society  has  been  started  in  London  to  promote 
the  development  of  the  science  of  mesmerism  and  of  the 
application  of  hypnotism  to  practical  medicine." 

"  What  was  Mesmer's  doctrine?"  asked  Von  Donhoff. 

"Mesmerism,"  replied  the  doctor. 

'  'And  what  is  Mesmerism  ?  " 

"Mesmer  claimed  to  have  found  in  nature  the  theory 
of  nature.  'All  is  simple,'  he  said ;  '  all  is  uniform  in  na 
ture  ;  it  produces  always  the  grandest  effects  with  the 
least  possible  expense;  it  adds  unity  to  unity;  there  is 
only  one  life,  one  health  and  one  malady,  and,  therefore, 
there  can  be  only  one  remedy.' " 

"What  a  horrid  doctrine!"  said  Amanda.  "Surely 
Mesmer  could  not  have  been  a  Christian,  papa." 

Colonel  Adams  smiled.  It  seemed  natural  for  him  to 
smileateverythingthis  innocent,  childlike, but  womanly, 
Amanda  said. 

"He  was  a  second  Christ,"  said  Von  Donhoff.  "I  do 
not  mean  that  he  was  a  God,  but  that  in  the  matter  of 
miraculous  cures,  he  did  what  Christ  did.  He  made  the 
blind  to  see,  the  lame  to  walk,  the  deaf  to  hear." 

"The  medical  world  pronounces  Mesmer  a  charlatan," 
said  Dr.  DuBose. 

"So  it  did  Newton!"  exclaimed  Von  Donhoff.  "The 
inventor  of  brandy  was  burned  as  a  sorcerer;  Solomon  de 
Caux,  who  discovered  vapor,  was  confined  in  a  lunatic 
asylum;  Galileo  was  exposed,  with  a  rope  around  his 
neck,  in  the  public  square;  and,  finally,  the  ancient  Fac 
ulty  of  Medicine,  after  having  denied  the  circulation  of 
blocrd  and  vaccination,  formally  opposed  the  teaching  of 
chemistry  in  France,  as  being  for  good  cause  prohibited 
by  Parliament.  Read  Herbert  Spencer,  my  youngfriend, 
and  you  will  find  these  statements  made  by  him." 


80  THE   MODERN   PARlAfl. 

With  a  contemptuous  expression,  which  he  could  not 
altogether  repress,  the  young  physician  said :  "Well,  Doc 
tor"  (he  persisted  in  calling  the  Professor  "doctor,") 
"  will  you  kindly  inform  us  what  this  occult  influence  is. 
which  is  to  make  beggars  of  all  accredited  physicians?  " 

'•Certainly,"  answered  Von  Donhoff,  "it  is  simply  com 
prised  in  the  statement  that  the  human  will  is  the  first  of 
all  powers,  the  dominant  influence  in  life,  the  secret  of 
the  so-called  'faith-cure,'  as  it  is  called  now— 'miracle,' 
as  called  in  the  bible.  De  Laplace  describes  it  as  the 
phenomena  that  result  from  the  extreme  sensibility  of 
the  nerves  of  some  individuals,  and  which  have  given 
birth  to  different  opinions  of  the  existence  of  a*  new  agent 
that  is  called  animal  mngnetism.  T^hus  thought  also 
Cuvier  and  Von  Helmont. " 

Amanda's  sympathies  were  altogether  with  the  young 
gentleman  who  had  acquitted  himself  so  well,  she  thought, 
in  the  dialogue  with  this  intellectual  giant.  Colonel 
Ada  ins  showed  by  his  silence  that  he  was  amused  and  in 
terested. 

Earnest  and  patient,  this  young  physician  had  been  a 
first-honor  man  at  Yale,  and  was  now  recognized  as  the 
most  promising  young  doctor  in  New  Haven.  He  was, 
moreover,  a  welcome  guest  at  the  home  of  Colonel 
Adams, and  wasatrusted  friend  and  admirerof  Amanda. 
Reared  and  educated  with  the  New  England  ideas  of  per 
sonal  honor,  which  proscribed  the  duelist  as  a  barbarian, 
his  defense  he  considered  must  be  made  before  the  forum 
of  reason,  or,  if  necessary,  be  carried  to  the  courts. 

Every  lineament,  every  expression  of  his  face,  denoted 
intellectual,  physical,  and  moral  courage.  Both  Colonel 
and  Mrs.  Adams  encouraged  his  attentions  to  Amanda. 
Her  sympathy  with  his  views,  as  well  as  her  appreciation 
of  his  character,  was  strengthened  when  he  said  to  her  in 
an  undertone :  "Such  theories  convince  me  that  too  much 
learning  is  a  dangerous  thing,  and  always  remind  me  of 
the  French  writer,  M.  Vinet's  criticism:  'Christianity 
everywhere,  when  it  has  not  penetrated  the  life  of  a  peo 
ple,  has  left  a  great  void  around  itself;  and  the  man 
who,  in  the  midst  of  Christianity,  is,  nevertheless,  not  a 
Christian,  carries  everywhere  with  him  a  desert.'  " 

But  Amanda  was  too  loyal  to  her  old  friend  to  encour- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  81 

age  further  comment,  and  they  left  the  room,  while  the 
Professor  and  his  host  lingered  over  their  coffee  to  discuss 
matters  of  absorbing  interest  to  them,  but  not  entertain 
ing  to  the  young  people. 

In  a  few  moments  a  servant  brought  a  card  to  Colonel 
Adams,  which  he  glanced  at,  then  handed  to  Professor 
Von  Donhoff .  It  was  a  simple  carte  tie  visits,  and  bore 
the  name,  "Bishop  Hunter." 

"What  would  you  do  about  this?"  asked  Colonel 
Adams. 

"  I  should  send  him  word  to  call  at  my  office.  I  have 
not '  evoluted '  sufficiently  yet  to  receive  a  colored  man, 
be  he  negro  or  Chinese,  in  my  home,"  said  the  Professor. 

"I  beg  pardon,  sir ;  but  the  man  said  he  wished  to  see 
you  on  very  urgent  business,"  said  the  servant. 

"  Say  to  him  that  I  regret  that  I  cannot  receive  him 
here.  I  am  engaged  just  now,  but  will  meet  him  in  my 
office  in  an  hour,  or  at  any  hour  he  may  appoint,"  said 
Colonel  Adams;  then  turning  to  his  guest,  he  said:  "A 
very  remarkable  man  is  this  Bishop  Hunter." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you  as  to  that;  but  being  a  negro 
and  a  former  slave,  he  cannot  have  a  clear  comprehension 
of  what  is  meant  by  civilization." 

"  Intellectually,  I  think  him  equal  to  most  white  men, 
and,  but  for  his  color,  I  confess  I  would  like  to  talk  with 
him.  His  lecture  last  night  was  full  of  new  facts  about 
Africa,  to  me  at  least." 

"Yes, "said  the  Professor;  "I  am  willing  to  concede 
that  much,  and  am  willing  for  all  American  negroes  to 
return  to  Africa,  but  if  thejr  come  North  en  masse,  I,  for 
one,  shall  leave  the  country." 

"The  word  'white'  is  not  found  in  the  decalogue,  the 
sermon  on  the  mount,  or  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence;  and  I  think  the  extreme  prejudice  in  the  United 
States  against  the  negro  is  peculiarly  American." 

"  Read  Spencer,  Darwin  and  Huxley,  and  you  will  find 
that  it  is  universal,"  said  the  Professor. 

"I  believe  that  Spencer,  Darwin  and  Huxley  should  be 
classed  among  atheists,"  replied  Colonel  Adams.  "I  be 
lieve,  further,  that  climate,  not  primal  laws  of  nature — 
not  the  divine  edict  of  God — caused  the  varied  colors  and 
races  among  men.  All  men  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be, 

M.P.-6 


82  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

free  and  equal ;  and  any  distinction  based  on  the  color  of 
a  man's  skin  is  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  logic,  of  the 
bible  and  Christianity.  The  white  race  is  a  minority  race 
among  the  races  of  men.  I  can  recall  but  one  quotation 
from  Herbert  Spencer,  and  it  demonstrates  the  truth  of 
that  proposition.  It  is  this,  'Man  is  everywhere,  under 
the  ice-clad  pole  of  the  North  as  well  as  under  the  pesti 
lential  vapors  of  the  equatorial  regions.  He  alone  is  the 
cosmopolitan  animal,  suited  to  all  climes  and  all  govern 
ments.  Except  in  the  case  of  the  Wandering  Jew,  driven 
forth  into  all  nations  by  the  decree  of  the  Almighty,  man 
assimilates  to  his  fellow-man  in  all  countries.'" 

"The  Jew,"  said  the  Professor;  "has  preserved  his 
individuality  1  he  world  over,  by  refusing  to  marry  chil 
dren  of  other  races;  and,  in  like  manner,  the  instincts  of 
the  Aryan  race  constitute  a  law  unto  itself.  Even  in  New 
England,  the  faintest  tinge  of  negro  blood  in  the  veins  of 
any  man  or  woman  is  sufficient  cause  for  that  social 
ostracism  which  commands,  for  the  good  of  the  Aryan 
family,  'thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  fai-ther.' 
Nothing  is  clearer  than  that  the  human  lineage  of  Jesus 
Christ,  as  of  Buddha,  was  the  highest  and  purest  among 
men;  and  the  bible  proves  the  value  of  good  lineage.  It 
is  the  unwritten  law  of  civilization  that  the  negro  and 
the  white  shall  not  intermarry,  as  it  is  the  law  in  holy 
writ  that  this  command,  if  disobeyed, .shall  enforce  its 
penalty  even  unto  the  tenth  generation.  Your  young 
enthusiasts,  like  Dr.  DuBose,  carried  away,  perhaps,  by 
generous  emotions,  grasp  too  quickly  conclusions  which 
all  history  falsifies." 

"Then  you  are  fully  convinced  that  the  negro  race  is 
inferior,  as  a  race,  to  the  white  race,"  suggested  Colonel 
Adams. 

"  Why,  certainly !  "  replied  the  Professor.  "The  negro 
has  a  brain  much  smaller  than  that  of  the  white  man, 
and  the  early  closing  of  the  cranial  sutures  is  another 
proof  that  he  can  never  arrive  at  the  high  civilization  of 
the  white  man  as  a  race." 

"That  is  an  argument  I  never  heard  before.  What  do 
you  mean  by  this  early  closing  of  the  cranial  sutures?" 

"  The  cranial  sutures  in  the  negro  close  at  sixteen 
years ;  in  the  white  man  at  twenty  to  twenty-two  years ; 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  83 

and  this  difference  forbids  the  possibility  of  equal  devel 
opment." 

Meanwhile  the  ex -United  States  minister — the  bishop  of 
a  large  diocese  of  the  M.  E.  Church  (colored) — had  to 
summon  his  Christian  resignation  in  face  of  this  "  snub," 
as  he  characterized  it. 

Little  did  Colonel  Adams  think  that  this  colored  bishop 
had  it  in  his  power,  had  he  chosen  to  exercise  it,  to  give 
to  the  world  information  which  would  make  of  his  happy 
household  a  miserable  one. 


XII. 

Monsieur  Louis  Etienne,  in  his  lecture  upon  animal 
magnetism  considered  under  the  theoretical,  practical 
and  therapeutic  aspects,  stated  that  it  had  been  known 
by  man  from  the  earliest  times. 

"Open  the  bible,"  said  he,  "and  you  will  find  that  the 
imposition  of  hands  there,  plays  a  grand  role.  When 
Moses  wished  to  impart  to  Joshua  the  spirit  oj  wisdom, 
he  placed  his  hands  upon  his  head.  Each  time  that 
Christ  was  asked  to  cure  a  sick  person,  he  was  begged  to 
touch  him  with  his  hands.  St.  Mark  cites  two  remark 
able  instances  of  the  efficacy  of  magnetism ;  one  concern 
ing  a  deaf  mute  (chapter  vii),  and  the  other  a  blind  man 
(chapter  viii) ;  it  is  said  that  Christ  laid  upon  him  his 
hands  twice  to  effect  a  cure.  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  cured 
invalids  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  while  regarding  them 
fixedly  and  commanding  them  to  look  steadily  at  them. 
(Acts,  chapter  iii.) 

"In  the  ninth  chapter  of  St.  Mark,  verse  39,  St.  John 
complains  to  Jesus  that  he  has  seen  among  the  crowd  a 
man  who  expelled  demons  in  his  name,  who  was  not  one 
of  his  disciples.  The  seven  hundred  prophets  of  Baal 
practiced  animal  magnetism.  In  Egypt  the  priests,  who 
monopolized  the  learning  of  that  period,  acquired  a  more 
thorough  knowledge  of  it  than  we  possess  to-day." 

"Every  word,  or  rather  every  idea,  he  has  expressed 
he  got  from  the  works  of  Herbert  Spencer,"  remarked 
the  Professor  audibly  to  Colonel  Adams. 

But  the  lecturer  continued:    "Egyptian  monuments 


84  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

attest  the  employment  of  animal  magnetism  as  a  reme 
dial  agent,  or  medicine,  in  otherwise  incurable  diseases. 
The  hieroglyphics  in  the  temple  of  Isis  describe  the 
seine  e  of  magnetism.  One  sees  on  these  ancient  monu 
ments  the  figure  of  a  man  lying  down,  or  in  a  sitting 
posture,  before  whom  another  stands,  who  strokes  the 
person  from  the  head  to  the  feet.  More  frequently  the 
invalid  is  seated  in  a  chair  in  the  attitude  of  one  sleeping, 
while  another  stands  before  him  and  performs  the  same 
magnetic  action  that  we  practice  to-day.  Ancient  Rome 
knew  and  practiced  animal  magnetism  as  a  medical 
agent.  Then,  as  now,  the  imposition  and  passes  of  the 
hands  descended  before  the  face  of  the  subject,  or  patient 
— before  the  face,  the  breast  and  the  bust — stopping  a 
moment  on  the  level  of  the  epigastre  (occasionally 
the  speaker  unconsciously  expressed  himself  thus  in 
French)  in  presenting  the  points  of  the  fingers.  He  con 
tinued  thus  making  these  passes  a  half  an  hour  to  an 
hour,  never  touching  the  patient  and  being  several  inches 
distant.  Each  time  that  the  magnetizer  raises  his  hands, 
they  are  closed,  and  they  are  gradually  opened  as  they  de 
scend.  He  will  make  eight  or  ten  passes,  each  one  to  last 
about  a  minute.  He  concentrates  his  mind  and  his  will 
upon  one  subject,  one  idea,  and  thus  transmits  it  to  the 
patient,  who  regards  him  fixedly,  looking  steadily  into 
his  eyes."  As  he  spoke  thus,  he  turned  and,  drawing 
aside  a  curtain,  revealed  a  Swiss  peasant  woman,  young 
and  robust,  who  had  long  been  his  patient,  and  who  ac 
companied  him  on  his  travels.  She  was  seated  in  a 
chair  and  he  took  one  opposite,  the  knees  of  the  patient 
being  between  those  of  the  magnetizer.  whose  chair  was 
raised  slightly  above  the  one  occupied  by  the  sujet  that 
he  might  reach  the  top  of  her  head  without  fatigue. 

Next  he  touched  her  fingers  with  his,  and  fixed  his  eyes 
upon  her's,  and  soon  the  pupils  seemed  to  dilate  or  con 
tract,  and,  finally,  the  lids  to  close  in  spite  of  her  efforts 
to  keep  them  open.  He  made  eight  or  ten  passes  in  as 
many  minutes,  and  seemed  entirely  absorbed  in  his  work, 
until,  by  the  concentration  of  his  will,  he  produced  sleep 
— a  sleep  so  profound  that  the  talking  did  not  awaken 
her  and  no  sensation  seemed  to  disturb  her.  Amanda 
leaned  forward  to  look  at  her  more  attentively,  while 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  "  85 

Dr.  DuBose  whispered  to  her  to  await  further  develop 
ments.  He  was  evidently  skeptical  of  any  practical  re 
sults.  Monsieur  Etienne  arose  and  faced  the  audience 
again.  He  was  a  stout  man  of  florid  complexion,  seem 
ingly  forty  years  old. 

"If  there  is  a  gentleman  present,"  he  said,  "who  feels 
that  he  has  the  power  to  awaken  this  patient,  let  him 
arise  and  essay  his  skill." 

In  the  rear  of  the  hall  a  handsome  young  man  arose 
and  advanced, saying:  "  I  have  no  faith  in  your  so-called 
power  to  effect  any  good  end  ;  it  is  merely  the  power  of  a, 
strong  will  over  a  weak  one.  I  possess  a  strong  will  and 
feel  that  this  imposition  should  be  exposed."  Amanda 
recognized  in  this  young  man  Mr.  Carter  Lee. 

"Very  well,  sir,"  said  M.  Etienne;  "you  are  at  liberty 
to  begin  your  demonstration." 

With  a  look  of  recognition,  rather  than  a  bow,  he 
passed  her,  and  took  the  chair  just  vacated  by  the 
"magnetic  doctor."  He  felt  the  pulse  of  the  sleeping 
woman,  then  made  a  number  of  long  parses,  regarding 
her  meanwhile  fixedly.  Her  slumber  seemed  to  deepen 
until  insensibility,  rather  than  sleep,  was  produced. 

"Your  method,  if  continued,  will  produce  paralysis," 
said  M.  Etienne. 

Mr.  Lee  paused,  then  resuming,  he  presented  the  points 
of  his  fingers  and  placed  them  fixedly  against  the  stom 
ach  of  the  patient,  still  looking  at  her  closed  eyes. 

"That  will  produce  a  spasm,"  said  M.  Etienne,  and 
immediately  a  violent  spasm  ensued. 

"So  much  for  a  doubting  Thomas,"  said  M.  Etienne, 
who,  with  a  few  passes  of  his  hands,  quieted  the  patient. 
"As  you  have  volunteered  to  assist  me,  Monsieur,"  said 
he  addressing  Mr.  Lee,  "will  you  kindly  request  some 
lady  friend  to  play  something  on  the  piano  that  I  may 
show  the  audience  partial  catalepsy?  " 

Carter  Lee  knew  no  lady  present  in  the  audience  ex 
cept  Amanda,  whom  he  looked  at  and  whose  eyes 
responded  to  his,  signifying  her  willingness.  He  ad 
vanced  first  to  Colonel  Adams  and  asked  his  permission 
to  have  Amanda  perform. 

The  Colonel  met  him  very  coldly,  and  said  that  that 
was  a  matter  to  be  decided  by  his  daughter.  Then  he 


86  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

approached  Amanda  and  said :  "  My  daughter  do  you 
wish  to  be  conspicuous?  If  not,  I  would  not  play." 

Meanwhile  Windom's  eyes  flashed  with  indignant 
anger,  yet  he  had  no  right  to  interfere. 

"If  you  forbid  it,  papa,  I  will  not  do  so,  but  I  feel 
deeply  interested,  and  believe  that  I,  too,  have  the  power 
possessed  by  M.  Etienne." 

Too  startled  by  this  reply  to  answer,  Colonel  Adams 
permitted  Amanda  to  be  conducted  to  the  piano  by  Car 
ter  Lee,  and  awaited  further  developments. 

Windom  bit  his  lip  with  rage,  for  he  thought  that 
Amanda  was  compromising  her, dignity  in  thus  taking 
part  in  a  public  exhibition. 

M.  Etienne  said  to  Mr.  Lee:  "  Kindly  ask  mademoiselle, 
your  sister,  not  to  touch  the  piano-keys  until  I  request 
it.  I  wish  tirst  to  demonstrate  that  this  patient  is  com 
pletely  paralyzed  in  the  right  limb  and  arm  and  cannot 
move;  then  the  trance,  or  cataleptic  stage,  will  follow." 

"  Did  you  hear  him  allude  to  Miss  Amanda  as  his  sis 
ter?  "  said  DuBose  to  Colonel  Adams. 

Colonel  Adams  did  not  reply,  but  his  face  showed  his 
surprise  at  the  resemblance  and  the  anxiety  which  it 
occasioned. 

M.  Etienne  then  took  the  young  woman's  wrist,  and,  as 
her  eyes  again  closed,  he  raised  her  right  arm  to  a  hori 
zontal  position,  and,  after  a  few  passes  with  his  hand 
along  the  arm,  left  it  in  that  condition  for  ten  minutes. 
Not  a  muscle  moved!  He  then  took  a  long  knitting- 
needle  #nd  inserted  it  in  the  bare  arm,  burying  it  an  inch 
in  the  flesh,  and  left  it  thus.  There  was  no  evidence  of 
feeling  or  pain.  The  patient  was  conscious  that  her  arm 
was  in  a  horizontal  position,  and  that  it  had  been 
pierced  with  a  needle,  and  begged  to  have  the  arm  re 
stored  to  its  normal  state. 

"  Do  youfeel  any  sensation  ?  "  asked  M.  Etienne,  in  the 
French  language. 

"  I  do  not ;  but  my  arm  seems  dead,"  she  replied. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  succeeded  in  restoring  her  powers 
of  locomotion,  except  the  arm,  which  remained  in  its  un 
natural  condition.  The  eyes  were  open  and  remained  so, 
never  winking,  but  seemed  gazing  into  spa,ce  without 
intelligence.  The  magnetizer  drew  himself  up,  and, 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  87 

placing  his  hands  slowly  outward,  drew  them  in  suddenly, 
and  the  patient  came  to  him.  He  said  to  her:  "Show 
the  audience  the  needle  in  your  arm." 

As  the  girl  went  from  one  to  another,  M.  Etienne  said 
to  Amanda:  "When  she  reaches  your  chair,  Monsieur, 
your  brother,  will  extract  the  needle." 

Colonel  Adams  frowned  and  turned  pale.  He  had 
again  heard  this  man  allude  to  this  stranger  as  her 
brother.  Surely  the  resemblance  must  be  very  great. 
But  Amanda  was  so  absorbed  in  watching  the  experi 
ments  that  she  did  not .  mptice  the  remark.  When  the 
girl  reached  Amanda's  chair,  Mr.  Lee,  without  sugges 
tion  from  any  one,  pulled  the  needle  from  the  arm  and 
handed  it  to  Amanda.  It  was  then  perceived  that  he, 
too,  was  under  the  mesmeric  influence,  his  actions  being 
guided  by  the  will  of  M.  Etienne.  Amanda  was  surprised 
to  see  that  no  blood  flowed  from  the  wound  and,  except 
a  small  blue  spot,  the  arm  bore  no  evidence  of  having 
been  perforated.  When  the  woman  was  restored  to  con 
sciousness,  he  asked  her  whether  she  had  felt  the  pricking 
of  the  pin.  She  answered  in  her  native  tongue:  "Que 
non;  seulement  je  ne  les  avait  pas  senties,  mais  je  ne 
savait  pas  avoir  le  bras  dans  la  position  ou  je  1'avait 
trouve." 

Amanda  turned  to  her  escort,  Dr.  DuBose,  who  was 
standing  near  her,  with  a  contemptuous  expression  of 
incredulity  upon  his  face.  "Don't  you  believe  it  now, 
doctor?"  she  asked.  He  shook  his  head;  then  said, 
deliberately,  in  an  audible  tone:  "No,  Miss  Amanda;  it 
is  the  trick  of  a  charlatan;  I  am  still  skeptical." 

M.  Etienne  heard  him,  and  so  did  Professor  Von  Donhoff . 
The  former  advanced  to  him  and  asked  if  he  would 
kindly  question  the  patient,  now  in  the  somnambulistic 
state,  as  to  the  name  of  articles  in  his,  the  doctor's, 
pockets. 

"As  a  matter  of  politeness  to  the  spectators,  I  will  do 
so,"  said  Dr.  DuBose.  Then  he  touched  his  vest  pocket 
and  asked  the  somnambulist :  "  What  have  I  in  this  vest 
pocket?"  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  the  girl  re 
plied:  "There  is  a  nickel,  a  ten  cent  piece,  and  a  quarter 
in  that  pocket." 
.  DuBose  took  from  his  pocket  all  that  it  contained; 


88  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

the  spectators  crowded  around  him,  curiosity  depicted 
on  their  faces,  and  he  and  they  were  astonished  to  see 
that  this  mesmerized  girl  had  described  exactly  the 
pieces  of  silver  in  the  pocket  referred  to.  Some  one 
suggested  that  there  might  be  a  pickpocket  in  the  room, 
and  the  mystery  might  thus  be  solved.  M.  Etienne 
immediately  requested  Dr.  DuBose  to  retire  to  the 
hall  alone  and  write  a  few  words  on  a  piece  of 
paper,  and  then  to  fold  the  paper  so  that  no 
one  could  read  what  he  had  written.  He  did  so,  and  re 
turning  to  the  room  went  to  the  girl  and,  holding  one 
corner  of  the  paper,  handed  her  the  other,  and  asked  her 
to  inform  the  audience  of  its  contents. 

"  You  compliment  me,"  she  replied.  "  You  have  written 
the  words:  'You — you  are  pretty.'  ' 

It  was  exactly  what  was  written,  and  DuBose  was  con 
founded.  Neither  ventriloquism  nor  prestidigitation 
could  explain  this  feat.  He  took  his  seat  and  said  no 
more,  but  watched  attentively  the  further  proceedings 
until  the  end  of  the  stance. 

They  walked  home  slowly,  Amanda  being  already  a 
convert,  while  DuBose  only  said,  in  his  earnest  way:  "  I 
cannot  explain  his  feats,  Miss  Amanda,  but,  if  I  were 
at  all  superstitious,  I  should  think  this  'Monsieur 
Etienne'  an  agent  of  the  devil." 

"It  is  astonishing,"  said  he,  after  a  moment's  silence, 
"how  successfully  some  people  can  take  isolated  texts  in 
the  bible  to  prove  their  theories  as  this  exponent  of 
animal  magnetism,  M.  Etienne,  has  done.  I  remember 
the  dissertation  of  an  original  thinker,  who  is  the  United 
States  minister  to  one  of  the  Central  American  republics, 
an  adept  in  the  art  of  mystifying  his  hearers  while  appar 
ently  clarifying  the  subject  under  review.  On  the  par 
ticular  occasion  referred  to,  the  queer  subject  selected  was, 
'  Balloons  versus  Angels.'  He  is  an  eminent  scholar,  and 
is,  or  has  been,  also  the  editor  of  a  daily  newspaper 
somewhere  in  the  Southern  States.  I  heard  him  make  the 
statement  while  a  guest  of  the  Clover  Club,  in  Philadelphia, 
on  which  occasion  I  was  also  an  invited  guest.  He  said  there 
was  a  Pan-Hellenic  club  in  the  city  where  he  lived,  com 
posed  of  graduates  of  colleges  who  had  been  members  of 
Greek-better  fraternities,  which  seem  to  thrive  in  all 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  89 

leading  American  universities.  He  said  that  after  read 
ing  '  Kenan's  History  of  the  Apostles,'  he  was  struck  with 
the  statement  made  by  the  learned  Frenchman  that  the 
Apostles  owed  much  of  their  astonishing  success  in  dif 
fusing  knowledge  of  the  then  new  religion  to  their  amaz- 
_ing  rapidity  of  locomotion.  Philip,  after  his  ride  in  the 
chariot  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  and  after  the  baptism 
of  the  latter,  was  taken  up  'by  the  spirit,'  or  by  an 
'angel'  and  carried,  as  by  a  wind,  to  a  town  fifty  miles 
or  more  away. 

"Many  other  like  instances  of  rapid  transportation 
occur,  and  individuals  are  'taken  up'  as  'in  a  cloud,' 
and  messages  and  information  are  conveyed  'by  a 
spirit,'  or  by  an  'angel.'  Angels  came  to  Bethlehem 
and  frightened  shepherds  on  environing  hills.  Elijah 
went  up  in  a  'chariot  of  fire,'  and  we  are  told  that 
when,  in  the  reign  of  good  King  Abner,  126,000  Persians 
surrounded  Jerusalem,  defended  by  only  6,000  men, 
Elijah  came  to  the  rescue,  and  that  night  one  of  these 
'angels, 'so  called  by  King  James's  translators,  sailed 
above  the  Persian  host,  and,  dropping  fire  on  it,  slew  all 
except  6,000  of  them,  and  then  the  lusty  Hebrew  soldiers 
smote  them  hip  and  thigh  and  none  escaped  destruc 
tion." 

"Those  warlike  'angels 'must  have  used  dynamite," 
suggested  Amanda,  with  the  manner  of  a  doubting 
Thomas.  Not  heeding  this  sage  suggestion,  DuBose 
continued : 

"Remember,  that  soon  after  the  apostles  finished  their 
tasks  and  were  gathered  to  their  fathers,  Jerusalem  was 
destroyed.  The  Jews  were  scattered,  poverty-stricken, 
over  the  world.  Not  many  centuries  later,  Mahomet 
and  Tamerlane,  and  Ghenghis-Khan,  and  Goths  and 
Vandals  swept  away  all  knowledge  of  oriental  civiliza 
tion,  and  ballooning  became  one  of  the  'lost  arts.' 

"  Take  your  biblical  concordance,  and  wherever  the 
word  'angel'  occurs,  insert  'balloon'  in  the  proper 
text,  and  many  difficulties  like  that  encountered  by  Kenan 
disappear.  There  was  never  a  traveler  borne  by  wings 
through  the  mid-heavens,  and  King  James' translators 
of  the  bible,  who  wrote  180  years  before  the  'lost  art' 
was  revived,  by  Montgolfierin  Paris  in  1800,  would  never 


90  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

have  converted  'balloons,'  as  constantly  mentioned  in 
the  Bible,  into  impossible  winged  men  and  women  or  into 
'  spirits,'  as  happens  in  the  translation  of  Matthew,  if 
they  had  lived  after,  instead  of  before,  Montgolfier. 

"Read,  if  you  please,  the  narrative  in  the  last  three 
chapters,  '  cut  off  from  the  end  of  Daniel,'  and  inserted 
in  the  Apocrypha."  [See  Harper's  Family  Bible.]  "The 
angel  that  bore  Habakuk  to  Nineveh  with  a  basket  of 
food  for  Daniel,  then  in  the  lion's  den,  was  surely  a  bal 
loon.  Twenty  balloons,  a  few  days  ago,  went  racing 
from  Brussels,  and,  though  freighted  with  men,  women 
and  children,  and,  though  a  tempest  drove  them  from 
their  proper  route,  all  landed  safely,  and  two,  in  an  in 
credibly  brief  time,  at  the  point  of  destination. 

"The  next  war  in  Europe  will  be  fought  in  the  air." 

"Solomon  was  right  about  it.  'There  is  nothing  new 
under  the  sun,'  except  winged  men,  and  these  never  were. 
King  James'  translators  had  never  heard  of  balloons, 
and,  therefore,  clapped  wings  oninnocent  men  and  women. 
Painters  and  poets  and  people  have  dreamed  till  the 
crude  fancy  and  fable  has  become  an  accepted  fact,  and 
part  and  parcel  of  popular  religious  faith." 

"Is  your  concluding  sentence  from  the  lecturer's 
remarks, oris  it  your  own  observation? "asked Amanda. 

"  Oh,  they  are  his  words.  I  am  afraid  that  I  am  ultra- 
Puritanical  in  my  views,  and  I  have  a  horror  of  any 
criticism  which  will  leave  in  the-  minds  of  the  hearer  or 
reader  any  doubt  about  thesacred  character  of  the  bible. 
I  believe  every  word  in  it!  and  am  willing  for  time  and 
eternity  to  solve  all  things  which  seem  inexplicable.  I 
think,  too,  that  such  critics,  in  tearing  down  the  founda 
tions  of  faith,  only  sow  seeds  of  doubt  in  minds  that  were 
happy  before,  and ,  for  the  gratification  of  personal  vanity 
in  the  possession  of  unusual  intellectual  powers,  become 
enemies  to  human  happiness.  Better  the  blind  faith  of 
the  Pagan  than  the  withering  doubt  of  the  Atheist." 

Amanda  at  this  moment  pressed  his  hand  as  he  offered 
it  to  her  to  assist  her  up  the  steps,  for  they  had  reached 
her  home. 

She  did  not  seem  to  know  that  she  had  done  this,  but 
her  eyes  indicated  to  him  that  all  that  he  had  said  met 
her  approval. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  91 

"Come  into  the  library,  Mr.  DuBose,"  she  said,  for  she 
sometimes  forgot  that  her  old  friend  was  now  a  full- 
fledged  young  physician  with  a  promising  practice. 
"Come  into  the  library,  and  I  will  show  you  some  addi 
tional  evidence  that  animal  magnetism  is  older  than 
Christianity  itself.  I  mean  no  irreverence,  or  skepticism, 
though  until  to-night  I  did  not  understand  it;  but  I  do 
believe  that  this  thing  called  mesmerism  is  older  than 
Mesmer,  and  was  a  science  practiced,  as  medicine  now  is 
with  us,  by  the  ancient  Egyptians." 

He  laughed  at  her  enthusiasm,  and  entered  the  library. 
Tossing  her  hat  aside,  she  went  to  the  stand  that  con 
tained  Colonel  Adams'  engravings,  and,  pointing  to  the 
largest  one,  said  :  "Please  lift  that  to  the  table  for  me." 
He  did  so,  and  she  threw  open  the  great  covers  and  dis 
closed  one  picture  after  another,  showing  the  mode  of 
worship  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  the  architecture  of  their 
temples,  the  worship  of  the  sacred  tree,  and  the  many 
symbols  of  their  faith. 

DuBose's  scholarly  taste  was  quickened,  and  with  deep 
interest  he  said:  "What  a  treasure  these  old  books  are. 
Where  did  your  father  get  them  ?  " 

"His  father  was  a  very  accomplished  gentleman,  I 
should  say,"  said  Amanda,  "  and  got  these  and  many 
other  rare  books  and  engravings  when  he  traveled  in 
Europe  long  before  I  was  born." 

DuBose's  eyes  wander  from  the  fair  speaker  to  the 
shelves  that  lined  the  two  lai-ge  rooms  from  the  ceiling 
to  the  floor,  all  filled  with  books  that  had  been  most 
carefully  selected  by  the  father  of  Colonel  Adams. 

"Mais  revenons  a,  nos  moutons,"  said  Amanda. 
"  Hearing  M.  Etienne  recalls  the  little  French  that  I 
know.  I  am  not  going  to  let  you  off  yet;  here  is  some 
thing  to  the  point."  She  pointed  to  the  picture  which 
contained  many  figures,  some  standing,  others  sitting  in 
front  of  the  person  standing,  all  dressed  in  the  Egyptian 
costume,  just  as  on  the  original  monument. 

"Now  tell  me  what  those  figures  remind  you  of?  "  she 
asked. 

It  flashed  upon  him  in  a  moment,  as  he  answered : 
"The  position  of  the  operator,  or  physician,  if  you  will 
so  call  him,  is  precisely  tljat  of  this  Monsieur  Etienne, 


92  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

and  that  of  the  sitting  person  is  like  that  of  the  patient, 
or  snjet,  as  M.  Etienne  calls  her  whom  he  mesmerized 
to-night." 

'•Exactly  so,"  she  replied;  "the  ancient  Egyptians 
practiced  it." 

The  next  day  Carter  Lee  returned  to  New  York,  and 
the  evening  after  his  arrival  there,  he  gave  to  Miss 
DeBrosses  an  enthusiastic  description  of  his  new  friends. 
He  was  agreeably  surprised  to  learn  that  Miss  DeBrosses 
was  a  friend  of  Amanda's,  the  two  girls  having  attended 
the  same  "finishing"  school  the  previous  year.  She 
seemed  much  interested  in  all  that  he  said;  indeed,  it  was 
with  gratified  vanity  that  he  perceived  that  he  had  ex 
cited  an  unusual  interest  in  the  mind  of  this  young  lady, 
who  was  not  only  a  belle\  but  an  heiress. 

Her  intimate  friends  called  her  Kitty  DeBrosses,  and 
his  own  acquaintance  was  just  enough  advanced  to 
admit  of  his  addressing  her  as  "  Miss  Kitty."  Before 
his  visit  to  New  Haven  she  had  been  the  object  of  his 
thoughts  more  than  he  was  willing  to  admit.  He  had 
introduced  his  friend  Wilmer,  from  Georgia,  a  young 
Wall  street  broker,  to  her,  and  Wilmer  was  already 
madly  in  love  with  her.  Had  Lee  been  less  interested 
himself,  he  would  have  been  offended  at  the  rudeness 
with  which  she  greeted  Wilmer  sometimes;  but  he  was 
amused  to  see  how  skilfully  and  delicately  she  palliated 
the  offense  by  the  most  winning  cordiality  the  next  time 
they  met  each  other. 

"She is  decidedly  the  most  accomplished  coquette  I 
ever  knew,"  reflected  Lee;  "and  I  am  sorry  for  Wilmer. 
She  can  twist  him  around  her  fingers,  so  to  speak,  when 
ever  she  chooses.  A  month  ago  I  was  as  daft  about  her 
as  he  is ;  but  the  Isles  of  Shoals — the  Isles  of  Shoals — 
ah,  how  they  do  linger  in  my  memory  in  connection  with 
Mary  Windom,  the  sweetest  girl  that  ever  lived !  " 

But  for  all  that,  his  careless  flatteries  and  markrd 
attention  to  Kitty  DeBrosses  had  already  made  a  much 
deeper  impression  upon  her  heart  than  he  intended  or 
desired. 

"  Are  you  and  Miss  Amanda  good  friends?  "  asked  Lee, 
as  they  sat  near  a  window  in  the  gloaming. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  93 

"That  goes  without  saying,"  said  Kitty  DeBrosses. 
"Did  any  one  ever  know  Amanda  without  loving  her?  " 

"  Very  true;  and  what  do  you  think  of  Miss  Windom?" 

"I  don't  know  Mary  Windom,  but  Amanda  raves 
about  her;  but  I  think  Amanda  the  loveliest  girl  I  ever 
knew ;  don't  you  ?  " 

"I  admire  Miss  Amanda  very  much,  but  I  must  hesi 
tate  about  using  that  superlative  expression  of  yours," 
he  answered. 

"  Well,  present  company  excepted,  who  is  more  lovable 
than  Amanda?" 

Lee  laughed  at  this  speech  of  the  gay  young  girl,  and 
answered: 

"Ah,  that  alters  the  case;  of  my  three  especial  friends 
in  the  North,  Miss  Adams,  Miss  DeBrosses  and  Miss 
Windom,  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the " 

"  No;  the  second  shall  be  last,"  said  she. 

"It  will  have  to  be  by  your  vote,  then,"  said  Lee,  gal 
lantly. 

"Jesting  aside,  Mr.  Lee,  is  Mary  Windom  so  superla 
tively  lovely?" 

"  The  half  has  not  been  told ;  seeing  is  believing— veni, 
vidi " 

"  Vici?  "  she  asked,  interrupting  him. 

"No;  but  quite  the  contrary ;  1  have  been  completely 
conquered.  She  is  the  loveliest  girl  I  ever  knew." 

In  her  heart  was  a  pang  caused  by  these  words  ;  but 
with  a  bright  laugh  she  said : 

"I  shall  certainly  make  an  effort  to  know  her;  Amanda 
has  promised  to  make  me  a  visit,  shortly,  and  I  shall  ask 
her  to  invite  Mary  Windom  to  come  with  her." 

"  I  will  see  that  she  is  not  a  wall-flower  if  she  accepts," 
said  Lee ;  but  he  did  not  tell  her  that  he  would  return  to 
New  Haven  the  following  week,  or  that  Mary  Windom 
would  not  be  surprised  to  see  him  there.  As  he  arose  and 
bade  her  good  evening,  Miss  De  Brosses  took  a  flower 
from  a  vase  on  the  table  near  her  and  pinned  it  to  the 
lapel  of  his  coat. 

"  Just  imagine  that  Miss  Windom  gave  you  this,  and — 
may  you  have  pleasant  dreams,"  she  said. 

"I  will  think  of  the  giver,  and  will  ask  her  to  wish  me 


94  THE    MODERN   PARIAH. 

many  happy  return  s  here, "said  Lee,  and  he  was  rewarded 
for  this  speech  with  a  sweet  smile. 

"She  is  charming,  but  she  is  a  flirt,  and  such  idle  com 
pliments  can  do  no  harm,"  thought  Lee,  as  he  lit  a  cigar 
and  walked  to  the  hotel. 


XIII. 

Bishop  Hunter  showed  his  knowledge  of  human  nature 
by  gradually  leading  up  to  the  subject,  concerning  which 
he  desired  to  talk  with  Colonel  Adams.  Apologizing  for 
having  called  at  his  residence  because  important  duties 
called  him  home  next  day,  he  asked  if  he  could  refer  to 
him  in  case  a  movement  in  favor  of  a  fund  for  African 
emigration  should  be  favored  in  New  Haven  or  in 
Connecticut. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  ask  if  I  favor  such  an  emigration? " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  for  otherwise  I  do  not  wish  to  refer  to  you." 

"Then  I  will  frankly  say  that  I  do  not;  this  country 
professes  to  be  the  home  and  asylum  of  the  oppressed  of 
all  nations,  and  we,  of  New  England,  contend  that  there  is 
room  enough  in  this  great  Republic  to  give  homes  and 
employment  to  a.ll  its  people,  including  the  lately 
emancipated  slaves." 

"I  know  it  'claims'  to  do  this,  but  it  does  not  do  it; 
moreover,  it  cannot,  I  am  convinced,  overcome  race  prej 
udice,  any  more  than  white  people  can  be  assimilated  to 
the  negro  race  in  Africa." 

"  But  do  you  favor  emigration  en  masse — I  mean  of  the 
whole  Afro- American  population?  " 

"By  no  means;  I  will  say  the  proportion  need  be  no 
greater  than  that  of  the  Irish  and  Germans  who  annual 
ly  come  to  this  country,  to  those  who  remain  in  the 
mother  country.  I  think  it  would  be  a  calamity  for  the 
greater  portion  of  our  people  to  go.  For  instance,  I 
am  called  home  now  to  aid  in  the  location  of  the  State 
University  for  colored  people,  which  is  just  being  estab 
lished  and  endowed  by  the  State  of  Georgia.  One  feature 
of  the  bid  for  the  location  of  this  new  State  college,  from 
the  town  of  Vespucius,  is  a  five-thousand-dollar  endow 
ment.  This  offer  is  made  by  a  negro,  who  was  once  a 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  95 

slave,  who  now,  seventy-two  years  of  age,  is  probably 
worth  more  than  fifty  thousand  dollars.  He  is  a  real 
estate  owner  and  dealer,  and  is  universally  respected  by 
both  the  whites  and  the  blacks.  I  have  a  copy  of  his 
letter  making  the  offer,  and  will  read  it  to  you.  It  is  as 
follows: 

Mr.  J.  B.  Falcon,  Mayor  of  Vespucius: 

DEAR  SIR — On  condition  that  the  branch  college  for  colored 
students  is  located  in  Vespucius,  I  agree  to  convey  the  follow 
ing  described  real  estate,  which  I  value  at  five  thousand 
dollars,  to  the  trustees  of  the  State  University,  reserving  to 
myself  a  life  estate  in  said  property — the  deed  to  be  so  framed 
as  to  preserve  the  corpus  of  the  body,  and  the  income  to  be  used 
as  a  scholarship  fund  to  educate  the  most  needy  and  deserving 
colored  students  who  may  apply  for  admission  to  said  college. 
The  conveyance  to  bemade  in  such  form  as  maybe  agreed  upon 
between  the  board  of  trustees  and  myself. 

Most  respectfully  yours,  ELBERT  HOARD. 

"Ah ! "  said  Colonel  Adams,  "  that  is  practical  philan 
thropy,  and  the  best  evidence  yet  given  that  emancipa 
tion  will  prove  a  blessing  to  the  whole  South,  white  as 
well  as  black." 

"  1  have  no  doubt  of  that  truth ;  but  there  is  a  natural 
ambition  in  all  intelligent  human  beings  to  advance  so 
cially  as  well  as  materially,  and  it  is  idle  to  expect  social 
equality  among  the  whites  and  blacks  of  the  Southern 
States.  No  man  will  receive  his  former  slave,  or  the  chil 
dren  of  a  former  slave,  as  a  social  equal ;  and  as  we  be 
come  educated ,  we  desire  to  go  where  we  can  secure  that 
blessing  for  our  children.  We  cannot  secure  it  any 
where  in  the  United  States." 

"Do  you  know  this  man,  Elbert  Hoard,  personally?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  I  have  known  him  forty  years ;  his  history  is 
a  remarkable  one." 

"In  what  respect?  I  would  like  to  know  something  of 
such  a  man." 

"Very  well,  sir;  I  will  tell  it  as  briefly  as  I  can.  He  was 
born  in  1817,  in  Middle  Georgia.  When  he  was  five  years 
old  his  master  moved  to  another  county,  and  his  mother 
was  sold  and  carried  to  parts  unknown." 

"Has  he  never  seen  his  mother  since  she  was  sold ?  " 

"No,  sir;  he  has  neither  seen  her  nor  heard  from  her. 
That  was  the  greatest  evil  of  slavery.  He  was  taken  to 


96  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

Tennessee,  where  he  lived  until  his  fifteenth  year,  when 
his  master  moved  to  Alabama,  taking  Elbert  with  him. 
When  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  his  master  moved 
back  to  Georgia  and  Elbert  returned  with  him.  In  1842, 
his  master  died,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  car 
ried  to  the  courthouse  and  sold  to  the  highest  bidder." 

"That  was  another  evil  of  slavery,"  said  Colonel 
Adams. 

"Yes,  sir;  it  was.  But  in  this  case,  as  in  hundreds  of 
similar  cases  that  I  know  of,  it  was  all  prearranged  be 
tween  Elbert  and  the  master  of  his  wife  that  he  should 
buy  him,  and  thus  prevent  a  separation  between  Elbert 
and  his  wife.  This  gentleman's  name  was  Hoard,  and 
Elbert  took  his  name  as  his  own.  He  made  Elbert  the 
'foreman'  on  his  plantation,  for  he  had  already  made 
himself  known  by  his  ability  and  fidelity.  They  trusted 
each  other,  and  he  continued  to  befriend  Elbert.  In  1851 
he  allowed  Elbert  to  hire  his  time  and  the  time  of  his 
wife,  and  thus  master  and  slave  lived  apart  until  Elbert 
and  his  wife  were  made  free  in  1865." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  this  slave  was  as  free  to 
go  and  come  as  you  are  now,  provided  he  paid  the  value 
of  his  time,  or  labor,  and  that  of  his  wife?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  and  with  the  further  condition  that  he  was 

not  to  leave  the  town  of  V ,  more  than  a  hundred  miles 

away,  or  the  county  of  Sumter,  without  a  pass,  or  per 
mit  from  his  master.  He  always  got  that  when  he  wrote 
for  it;  and  thousands  of  other  negro  slaves  did  likewise. 
They  were  required  to  pay  a  good  interest  on  their  value, 
and  they  generally  did  it  " 

"That  is  the  best  feature  of  slavery  that  I  ever  heard 
of,"  said  Colonel  Adams. 

"There  were  many  kindly  features  that  characterized 
slavery  in  the  Southern  States  that  the  world  is  ignor 
ant  of.  God's  hand  was  in  it  all ;  Elbert's  training  as  a 
slave  enabled  him  to  succeed  as  a  freeman.  Elbert  went 
to  the  town  of  Vespucius  in  1854,  his  master  remaining  at 
his  plantation  home  in  a  distant  county,  and  he  and  his 
wife  have  lived  there  from  that  day  to  this.  He  has 
built,  since  freedom,  eighty-seven  houses,  and  has  sold 
one  hundred  vacant  lots  to  white  and  colored  people. 
He  is  respected  by  the  whole  community,  and  he  has 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  97 

been  five  times  elected  a  delegate  to  the  National  Repub- 
lican  Convention,  to  help  nominate  the  President  of  the 
United  States." 

"I  repeat,"  said  Colonel  Adams,  "that  this  man's 
history  is  a  revelation  to  me.  It  proves,  too,  that  the 
emancipation  of  the  negroes  will  yet  prove  a  blessing  to 
the  people  of  both  races  in  the  Southern  States.  From 
his  success,  the  respect  in  which  you  say  he  is  held  by 
the  whole  community  in  spite  of  his  political  prominence 
as  a  Republican  in  a  Democratic  State,  and  his  present 
happy  life,  I  am  more  than  ever  persuaded  that  the 
negro  race  will  advance  much  more  rapidly  where  they 
are  than  in  Africa.  Therefore  I  cannot  encourage  the 
movement  which  you  have  inaugurated  to  have  them 
returned  to  Africa.  The  enfranchisement  of  the  negroes 
increased  the  representative  population  enough  to 
entitle  them  to  thirty  or  forty  Congressmen." 

"But  they  have  not  got  them;  and  they  cannot  get 
them.  Whether  this  is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  were 
handicapped  by  slavery,  or  from  inherent  weakness,  is 
not  material.  I  doubt  whether  universal  suffrage  has 
been  of  benefit  to  the  negro.  A  property  qualification, 
such  as  you  have  in  Rhode  Island ;  or  an  educational 
provision,  such  as  prevails  in  other  Northern  States, 
would,  I  think,  have  been  wiser." 

Colonel  Adams  was  evidently  surprised  and  impressed 
by  this  remark,  and  replied : 

"  You  may  be  right  about  that.  We  extol  England  as 
the  most  civilized  of  nations,  and  yet  in  England  the 
people  in  the  rural  districts  have  no  voice  whatever  in 
controlling  the  community  in  which  they  live.  They 
have  no  authority  to  vote  for  state,  or  county,  or 
national  officials.  But  England  is  a  monarchy;  this 
country  a  free  republic." 

"I  am  aware  of  that,  sir;  but  human  nature  is  the 
same  the  world  over ;  and  the  negro  in  the  rural  dis 
tricts,  after  enjoying  the  cure-all,  yclept  suffrage,  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  is  in  no  better  condition  socially, 
so  far  as  the  white  people  are  concerned,  than  he  was  in 
the  year  he  was  emancipated." 

"How  do  you  know  that  your  statements  are  true?" 
asked  Colonel  Adams,  with  a  quizzical  smile. 
M.  P.— 7 


* 
98  THE  MODERN   PARIAH. 

"By  my  personal  observation,  chiefly.  Besides,  I 
speak  entirely  from  radical  Republican  testimony,  as 
given  by  your  orators  in  Congress.  Why,  even  the  other 
day  a  number  of  negro  or  'colored'  bishops  met  in  con 
vention  in  Ohio,  and  one  of  them  solemnly  asserted  that 
the  Southern  negroes  should  be  educated  to  return  to 
Africa,  because  they  cannot  become  full-statured  men 
and  citizens  in  the  United  States.  I  agree  with  him; 
inequality,  not  equality,  is  the  rule  in  human  affairs  the 
world  over." 

"You  think,  then,  that  compulsory  means  should  be 
used  to  have  them  emigrate  to  Africa?  " 
' "  Not  at  all ;  that  would  be  cruelty.  Emigration  from 
America  to  Africa  should  be  voluntary;  and  no  negro 
should  go  there  if  he  has  not  a  few  hundred  dollars 
to  support  himself  with  until  he  can  get  remunerative 
employment" 

"I  agree  with  you  there,"  said  Colonel  Adams.  "As 
'wards  of  this  nation'  they  will  retrograde  as  surely  as 
they  did  in  Liberia." 

"What  proof  have  you  that  they  have  retrograded 
there?"  asked  the  bishop. 

"The  testimony  of  a  United  States  minister  to  that 
so-called  republic;  and  1  think  that  he  is  the  ablest 
negro  in  America.  He  is  indignant  that  a  proposition 
should  be  made  to  our  government  to  aid  in  transport 
ing  American  citizens,  of  African  descent,  to  'that  black 
land  of  snakes,  centipedes,  fevers,  miasma,  poverty,  and 
superstition.'  He  describes  it  as  a  country  where  there 
are  no  wagons,  carts,  roads,  money  or  decent  houses. 
A  country  where  two  thousand,  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  men  vote,  and  out  of  that  number  one 
thousand,  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  hold  office; 
a  country  where  eight  hundred  and  seventeen  men  form 
a  regiment  and  seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine  of  them 
are  military  officers;  a  country  where  the  native  negro 
with  his  superstition  is  of  more  importance  than  the 
civilized  somebody  who  tries  to  live  there." 

"I  know  to  whom  you  refer;  he  is  not  a  black  man, 
but  a  mulatto,  and  that  may  have  excited  prejudice 
against  him.  I  did  not  experience  such  treatment  when 
I  was  there.  Besides  his  statements  are  not  true.  Any 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  99 

one  who  ascends  the  St.  Paul's  River  from  Monrovia  will 
find  all  along  the  river-sides  brick  houses  of  two  and 
three  stories,  covered  with  zinc  roofs.  Varied  settle 
ments  can  be  seen  along  this  river,  bearing  American 
names.  Liberia  is  a  beautiful  country,  and  any  one  who 
cannot  live  there  with  reasonable  health  cannot  live 
anywhere.  True,  there  is  an  acclimating  change  people 
have  to  pass  through,  as  they  do  on  the  Mississippi 
River.  I  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  in  the  interior,  and 
noted  the  manly  bearing  of  the  higher  grade  of  the 
natives.  I  have  learned  that  we  poor  American  negroes 
were  the  tail-end  of  the  African  races.  We  were  slaves  in 
Africa,  and  had  been  slaves  a  thousand  years  or  more 
before  we  were  sold  to  America.  Those  who  think  the 
flat  nose,  the  receding  forehead,  the  proboscidated 
mouth,  and  the  big  flat-bottom  foot,  are  peculiar  to 
the  African  race,  are  mistaken.  A  straight  rule  laid 
upon  the  face  of  three-fourths  of  us  in  America,  will 
touch  the  nose  and  mouth  only;  there  are  native 
Africans  without  number,  whose  nose  and  chin  the  rule 
would  touch  without  touching  the  mouth.  I  have  seen 
nineteen  tribes,  and  I  have  not  seen  over  one  hundred 
men  who  are  constructed  on  as  low  a  scale  as  I  have 
seen  in  America.  No  high-class  Africans  were  sold  to 
America,  unless  they  were  prisoners  of  war." 

"Your  remarks  emphasize  the  problem  still  more;  if 
the  negroes  in  Liberia  cannot  look  without  prejudice 
upon  a  colored  man  who  is  four-eighths  negro,  how  is  it 
to  be  expected  that  wholesale  emigration  of  American 
negroes  can  be  good  for  them  ?  Would  you  eliminate 
all  rnulattoes from  the  emigrants?" 

"I  think,  sir,  that  you  exaggerate  the  difficulties,  and 
underrate  the  advantages.  Of  course  I  know  that  you 
do  this  unconsciously.  Permit  me  to  say  that,  while  I 
am  as  certain  as  of  my  existence  that  the  black  man 
will,  sooner  or  later,  return  to  Africa,  and  that  it  is  the 
will  and  purpose  of  God  that  he  shall  do  so,  and  that  no 
power  on  earth  can  contravene  it,  I  well  know  that  Africa 
is  no  place  for  the  improvident  part  of  the  colored  race. 
Nevertheless,  after  traveling  over  three  continents,  I 
have  seen  no  part  of  the  globe  to  compare  with  Africa. 
If  Europe  can  keep  one  hundred  and  seventy -two  steam- 


100  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

ships  hugging  the,  coasts  of  Africa  the  year  round,  and 
reaping  hundreds  of  millions  a  year  by  it,  the  United 
States  might  keep  two  steamships  at  least,  and  allow  the 
black  man  who  is  able  to  pay  his  way,  to  go  and  come 
at  his  pleasure." 

"Do  you  intend  to  emigrate  to  Africa?  " 

"No,  sir;  my  duties  forbid  it;  and, except  as  a  mission 
ary,  I  would  not  wish  to  go  to  any  heathen  country." 

The  conversation  was  beginning  to  grow  a  little  tire 
some  to  Colonel  Adams,  who  thought  that  his  services  in 
the  Federal  army  during  the  war,  which  resulted  in  giv 
ing  emancipation  to  the  negroes,  was  all  that  he  owed 
them. 

"lam  sorry  that  I  can  neither  aid  nor  encourage 
you,"  he  said ;  "for  my  judgment  is  that  the  negroes  are 
where  they  ought  to  be;  and,  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln,  'they  must  root  hog  or  die.'" 

"  At  least  you  givemecredit  for  the  utmost  sincerity," 
said  the  Bishop. 

"Certainly;  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  you  have  won 
the  respect  of  our  people." 

"Then  I  will  be  bold  enough  to  tell  you  my  real  reason 
for  calling  to  see  you,  sir.  Do  you  know  young  Mr.  Car 
ter  Lee?" 

"  Carter  Lee?  "  said  Colonel  Adams ;  "  Carter  Lee?  Ah  ! 
yes ;  you  mean  the  young  gentleman  from  Mississippi — 
a  friend  of  Charles  Windom." 

"  The  same,  sir.  Well,  I  will  refer  you  to  him ;  he  is  the 
son  of  my  former  master." 

"But  I  know  nothing  of  Mr.  Lee,  and,  besides,  you 
need  no  reference.  The  fact  that  you  have  educated 
yourself  and  are  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  your 
race,  makes  any  reference  superfluous." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir;  but  have  you  ever  seen  Mr.  Lee 
in  the  society  of  your  daughter,  Miss  Amanda  Adams?" 

"  I  never  saw  Mr.  Lee  but  once ;  and  that  was  at  a  din 
ner  at  my  house  recentlv.  Of  what  interest  can  he  be  to 
me?" 

"He  is  in  the  city  now,  sir;  and  both  he  and  your 
daughter  were  present  when  I  lectured  last  night,  and 
their  resemblance  to  each  other  is  startling— partic 
ularly  to  me." 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  101 

"You  speak  in  riddles;  I  don't  understand  you,  nor 
why  either  my  daughter  or  Mr.  Lee  should  interest  you." 
This  was  said  with  manifest  impatience. 

"Pardon  me,  sir;  I  mean  no  offense.  I  am  actuated 
only  by  a  sense  of  duty  in  saying  to  you  that  I  recog 
nized  Miss  Amanda  by  her  great  resemblance  to  her 
mother,  and  Mr.  Lee  is  her  father's  brother." 

Colonel  Adams  was  at  this  moment  as  if  paralyzed — con 
flicting  emotions — surprise,  indignation,  grief,  all  strug 
gled  for  the  mastery,  as  he  heard  the  fatal  announce 
ment  from  this  venerable  and  worthy  negro  preacher. 

He  realized  that  his  long-kept  secret  was  a  secret  no 
longer.  He  looked  with  horror  at  the  Bishop,  but  said 
nothing,  as  the  latter  continued :  "  My  master  left  a  will 
which  he  confided  to  my  care.  I  have  it  at  home,  and 
no  human  being  except  yourself  and  the  witnesses  to  it 
know  of  its  existence.  In  this  will  he  left  all  his  prop 
erty  in  Georgia,  a  plantation  of  five  thousand  acres,  in 
fee  simple  to  Amanda's  child.  I  beg  pardon,  sir — to  Miss 
Amanda." 

He  ceased,  but  the  Colonel  motioned  to  him  to  go  on 
with  his  story. 

"  I  have  never  been  able  to  trace  this  child,  although  I 
have  made  diligent  efforts  to  find  her  ever  since,  until  1 
recognized  her  in  the  person  of  Miss  Amanda  Adams.  In 
case  this  child  could  not  be  found,  the  will  provides  that 
this  plantation  should  be  inherited  by  his  son,  who 
should  inherit  all  the  rest  of  his  property — young  Carter 
Lee,  who  is  at  this  moment  in  New  Haven,  is  that  son." 

The  Colonel's  face  was  pallid  and  the  tones  of  his  voice 
evinced  his  great  agitation  as  he  almost  incoherently 
asked :  "  Does  the  young  gentleman  know  of  these 
facts?" 

"No,  sir;  to  no  one  except  the  lawyer  and  witnesses 
who  drew  up  the  instrument  and  an  old  negro  woman 
whom  we  all  called  '  Aunt  Charity,'  and  who  is  now  dead 
as  is  the  lawyer  also,  was  the  existence  of  the  will  ever  to 
be  made  known  until  Amanda's  child  should  be  found 
and  should  be  twenty  years  of  age.  Mr.  Carter  Lee 
thinks  that  he  is  the  legal  heir  to  this  property." 

"  But,  granting  that  what  you  say  is  true,"  said  Col 
onel  Adams,  now  summoning  all  his  resolution  to  be 


102  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

calm  and  reasonable,  "the  law,  at  least  the  laws  of  this 
State,  will  not  permit  property  to  be  inherited  by  an 
illegitimate — colored 'person.'"  The  words  "colored  per 
son"  were  said  with  evident  reluctance.  "Besides,  no 
jury  on  earth  would  declare  my  daughter  to  be  the  child 
of  a.ny  colored  person,  and  I  would  have  you  to  under 
stand,"  he  added,  rising  from  his  chair  with  a  face  denot 
ing  an  iron  resolution,  "  that  the  man  who  says  one  word 
to  imperil  her  happiness  will  do  so  at  the  peril  of  his 
life!  There  are  some  things  that  are  beyond  human 
endurance." 

He  was  pacing  the  floor  of  his  office  now,  and  the  Bishop 
remained  quiet,  until  this  natural  agitation  could  par 
tially  subside ;  then  he  said,  very  gently,  very  humbly, 
even  as  a  slave  to  his  master:  "  I  beg  your  pardon  most 
humbly,  sir ;  I  am  but  a  poor  ignorant  negro  preacher,  who 
loves  the  memory  of  his  old  master  as  of  his  best  friend, 
and  of  this  young  lady's  mother  as  the  best  and  noblest 
girl  I  ever  knew.  I  say  to  you,  sir,  that  1  will  lay  down 
my  life  rather  than  make  her  unhappy;  but  I  must  be 
true  to  the  trust  thus  confided  to  me." 

His  whole  demeanor  was  so  humble  and  sincere — bore 
so  much  the  characteristic  of  the  true  Christian,  that 
Colonel  Adams  sat  down  by  his  side  and  took  his  black 
hand  in  his  and  pressed  it,  while,  strong  man  though  he 
was,  the  tears  of  agony  told  of  the  awful  struggle  in  his 
breast. 

Finally  he  said :  "It  is  all  true!  but  I  had  hoped  tha.t 
the  secret  would  never  be  discovered.  If  she  has  a  trace 
of  negro  blood  in  her  veins,  we  have  never  been  able  to 
perceive  it;  and  she  is  our  idol." 

"I  know  it,  sir.  She  is  nine-tenths  white,  and  may 
God  bless  you  and  your  noble  wife  for  adopting  this  help 
less  orphan  as  you  did.  Until  you  bid  me  reveal  it,  the 
secret  shall  be  locked  in  my  breast  as  it  ever  has  been." 

"  You  are  a  noble  unselfish  man,"  responded  the  Colo 
nel,  "  and  I  believe -you.  She  will  not  be  of  age  for  a  year 
yet,  and  could  not,  therefore,  inherit  if  she  so  desired. 
At  the  proper  time  I  will  notify  you;  meanwhile,  always 
keep  me  a,dvised  of  your  address." 

"  I  will  do  so,  sir;  and, now, shall  I  send  you  the  will?" 

"  Yes ;  I  will  take  good  care  of  it." 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  103 

"Thank  you,  sir.  I  will  return  by  the  next  train  to 
Georgia,  far  happier  than  I  came  here.  Good-bye,  sir." 

"Good-bye,"  said  the  Colonel,  as  he  opened  the  door, 
and  the  old  negro  went  forth. 

In  one  hour  from  the  time  he  left  his  home  to  meet  the 
Bishop  at  his  office  he  had  rejoined  the  Professor. 

When  Professor  Von  Donhoff  entered  the  parlor,  after 
Colonel  Adams  had  gone  to  his  office,  Dr.  DuBose  re 
tired,  pleading  that  he  had  a  professional  visit  to  make, 
but  would  return  in  an  hour.  Amanda  and  the  Professor 
were  conversing  when  her  father  returned,  and  his  face 
looked  so  haggard  that  she  asked :  "  What  is  the  matter, 
papa  ?  "  As  she  said  this,  she  stroked  back  the  hair  from 
his  forehead.  "Your  head  feels  hot;  have  you  a  fever? 
Ah !  Professor,  I  fear  your  wisdom  has  been  too  much  for 
my  foolish  papa,  who  will  work  at  night  in  spite  of  our 
protests." 

"It  is  nothing,  my  child ;  a  slight  attack  of  vertigo — a 
mere  headache,  which  your  presence  has  already  light 
ened." 

"  Complimentary  to  me,  I  am  sure,"  said  the  Professor, 
placing  a  chair  for  her. 

"  I  will  make  you  a  cup  of  coffee,  papa ;  wait  until  I 
return  with  it." 

Colonel  Adams  placed  his  aching  head  between  his 
hands  and  groaned.  It  was  not  without  a  purpose  that 
he  had  sought  to  "  draw  the  Professor  out"  upon  this 
subject,  which  troubled  him  unceasingly.  Proposal  after 
proposal  had  been  made  to  Amanda  and  she  was  still, 
so  far  as  he  knew,  "  heart-whole  and  fancy  free."  As  she 
had  expressed  it  when  a  child,  she  "loved  everybody  and 
feared  nobody."  Was  this  lovely  child-woman  to  go 
through  life  with  a  mark,  like  that  of  Cain  as  to  its  effect 
if  discovered,  and  be  permitted  to  marry  an  honorable 
gentleman,  and  both  to  be  left  in  ignorance  as  to  the 
stain  upon  her  birth  ?  Or  was  he  to  shatter  that  beauti 
ful  young  life,  and  with  the  merciless  hand  of  the  icono 
clast,  cast  down  all  her  idols  of  innocent  youth  ?  As  this 
thought  occurred  to  him  a  sudden  impulse  prompted 
him  to  tell  all  to  this  rough,  generous,  learned  man,  who 
appreciated  Amanda  too  highly  ever  to  abuse  the  conn- 


104  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

dencetlms  reposed  in  him.  Hardly  had  he  decided  upon 
this  course,  however,  when  Amanda  came  in  bearing  on 
a  waiter  two  tiny  cups  that  were  worthy  the  best  artists 
at  Sevres.  She  had  a  simple  white  apron  on,  and  to 
Professsor  Von  Donhoff  she  seemed  as  pretty  and  charm 
ing  a  picture  as  he  had  ever  seen.  Colonel  Adams  half 
arose,  then  fell  back  in  his  chair,  for  he  saw  in  the  girl 
before  him  the  image  of  that  girl's  mother  who  had  so 
often  brought  food  and  drink  to  his  bedside  during  his 
long  weary  struggle  with  the  terrible  typhoid  fever.  Her 
expression,  manner,  gestures,  everything,  recalled  the 
past  so  vividly  that  she  noticed  it,  and,  placing  the 
waiter  upon  the  table,  went  immediately  to  his  relief. 

"  I  believe  I  will  retire,  Professor,  but  don't  go.  I  leave 
you  with  very  dull  company,  I  know,"  said  the  Colonel, 
as  he  stroked  his  daughter's  hair, "  but  you  must  be  pa 
tient  and  consent  to  be  bored  by  jour  old  pupil  until  her 
mother  returns.  Good  night,  my  dear."  His  hand  was 
placed  caressingly  on  her  head,  and  he  kissed  her  with 
parental  tenderness  as  he  left  the  parlor  for  the  seclusion 
of  his  library. 

"I  don't  know  what  is  the  matter  with  papa,  lately," 
said  Amanda;  "he  is  not  at  all  well,  and  I  have  never 
seen  him  so  serious.  I  hope  you  have  not  turned  your 
batteries  on  him,  too,  Professor." 

"No,  indeed;  he  is  my  best  friend  in  New  Haven,  and  I 
know  of  no  sacrifice  I  would  not  make  for  his  sake — or 
for  yours,"  he  said,  very  gently,  she  thought. 

"Thank  you;  I  thought  as  much.  I  feel  that  I  can 
always  trust  you  implicitly.  You  have  always  been  so 
kind,  so  good  to  me,  that  I  can  excuse,  while  I  must 
deplore  your  rough  speeches  to  some  of  my  friends." 

"That  speech  is  worthy  of  you,  Miss  Amanda,  and  for 
your  sake — what  would  I  not  do  for  your  sake? — 1  will 
try  not  to  be  such  a  bear  hereafter." 

"What  have  you  and  papa  been  talking  about?  The 
coffee  is  getting  cold  and  you  have  not  tasted  it." 

"Pardon;  I  forgot  the  coffee  in  thinking  of  the  cup 
bearer." 

He  took  the  cup  and  began  to  sip  it  leisurely,  looking 
at  her  meanwhile. 

''You   have  not  answered   my  question;    don't  you 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  105 

remember  how  you  used  to  scold  me  when  I  failed  to 
answer  your  questions?"  She  laughed  merrily  as  she 
said  this. 

"What  are  you  laughing  at?" 

"  At  the  ridiculous  face  you  used  to  make  when  trying 
to  look  angry  with  me." 

"You  were  a  witch  then,  and  I  fear  you  are  no  better 
now,"  he  replied. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Professor?  " 

"  I  mean  that,  when  in  your  presence,  I  feel  thoroughly 
bewitched— am  hardly  accountable  for  what  I  say  or 
do." 

"  Perhaps  I  hare  mesmerized  you ;  I  have  attended  but 
one  seance  of  Professor  Etienne,  but  since  then  I  have 
studied  the  subject." 

"  Have  you  subjected  any  one  to  your  will?  " 

"  No ;  but  I  believe  I  can  do  so." 

"  Try  me;  I  dare  you  to  try  me !  " 

"  Don't  dare  me,  Professor ;  you  know  what  little  boys 
say  about '  taking  a  dare.' " 

"  No ;  what  do  they  say  ?  " 

"A  boy  who  will  take  a  dare  is  meaner  than  a  worth 
less  dog." 

"  Just  so ;  now  you  will  not  place  yourself  in  that  cate 
gory.  I  distinctly  and  deliberately  dare  you  to  place  me 
in  the  somnambulistic  condition.  It  is  absurd,  though, 
isn't  it?  I,  who  have  so  much  the  stronger  will,  to  chal 
lenge  you  to  attempt  this." 

"I  will  not  try  to  do  that;  but  if  you  will  promise  not 
to  mesmerize  me,  I  will  demonstrate  that  I  have  the  same 
power  that  Monsieur  Etienne  has." 

"Proceed;  I  promise." 

"Wait  a  moment,  then."  She  went  into  the  billiard 
room  and  returned  with  a  billiard-cue. 

"  Now,  take  hold  of  this  cue," she  said,  with  both  hands 
holding  it  perfectly  horizontal.  "Hold  it  as  firmly  as 
you  can— so — there ! "  She  had  grasped  the  cue,  slightly 
touching  it  with  the  palm  of  her  hands,  and  at  the  word 
"  There ! "  she  sent  the  Professor  reeling  against  the  wall 
in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  to  resist  her.  She  had  used  no 
perceptible  muscular  force,  and  he  was  amazed.  "  Won 
derful  ! "  heexclaimed ;  "where  did  you  learn  that  trick?  " 


106  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

"It  is  not  a  trick ;  you  are  mesmerized ;  I  never  tried 
to  do  it  before." 

"Wonderful!  You  are  a  witch.  Now  try  again.  He 
braced  himself  firmly,  clutched  the  cue  near  the  two  ends, 
and  awaited  her.  She  came  slowly  to  him,  fixing  her  eyes 
on  his,  placed  one  hand  behind  her  back,  and  with  the 
palm  upward,  touched  with  the  other  the  cue  without 
any  more  muscular  exertion  than  she  had  used  before, 
and  immediately  he  was  struggling  as  if  for  life  to  hold 
the  cue.  Perspiration  oozed  from  his  brow,  and  he  was 
evidently  determined  to  retain  it.  Thus  they  moved 
around  the  room  until,  with  a  sudden  upward  turn  of  the 
hand,  she  sent  him  reeling  to  the  floor  of  the  room.  Just 
then  Dr.  DuBose  appeared  standing  in  the  doorway. 
DuBose  was  grave  for  one  of  his  years,  but  was  not 
devoid  of  humor,  and  this  scene  amused  him  greatly. 
Trying  to  conceal  his  merriment,  he  said :  "  Pardon  me  if 
I  intrude,  Miss  Amanda:  I  did  not  intend  to  interrupt 
this — what  shall  I  call  it?"  Amanda  was  laughing  at 
the  grotesque  appearance  of  her  victim,  as  he  painfully 
arose,  adjusted  his  spectacles,  and  looked  more  crest 
fallen  than  Amanda  had  ever  seen  him.  This  was  mo 
mentary,  however,  for  he  quickly  regained  his  self-posses 
sion  when  he  saw  DuBose  standing  there  enjoying  his 
discomfiture. 

"  Miss  Amanda,  it  is  for  you  to  explain  my  embarrass 
ing  position,"  he  said. 

"Certainly,  Professor;  it  is  very  simple.  I  have  just 
been  trying,  Doctor,  my  power  as  a  pupil  of  Monsieur 
Etienne  upon  the  Professor." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  you  have  overcome  him!  Great 
is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians,"  said  DuBose. 

"It  is  not  only  possible,  but  she  has  accomplished 
an  unexampled  feat." 

"Doubtless,"  sarcastically  replied  the  young  doctor. 
"It  reminds  me  forcibly  of  a  quotation : '  When  myfriend 
first  arose  to  speak  I  thought  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
subject ;  and, when  he  concluded  his  remarks,!  knew  that 
my  first  opinion  was  correct.' "  It  was  thus  thatthePro- 
fessor  had  criticized  DuBose  when  a  student  at  Yale. 

"I  acknowledge  the  grain"  said  the  Professor,  again 
making  a  misquotation  of  a  familiar  slang  expression. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  107 

"Now  be  generous,  Doctor,  and  let  us  befriends." 

The  Professor  extended  his  hand  as  hespoke;  theyoung 
physician  grasped  it  cordially,  but  added  :  "Can  I  be  of 
service  in  my  capacity  of  surgeon.  I  see  that  blood  is 
flowing  from  your  nose."  This  was  in  pure  irony,  for 
there  was  the  faintest  tinge  of  blood — a  slight  abrasion 
merely  upon  that  prominent  part  of  the  Professor's  phys- 
iognoiny.  But  the  Professor,  without  deigning  any 
reply,  abruptly  withdrew. 

"Well,  Miss  Amanda,  I  see  that  you  and  the  Professor 
have  had  a  scrimmage — a  regular  knock-down  fight.  I 
never  regarded  you  as  a  pugilist  before.  How  did  you 
floor  him?  I  am  very  glad  you  did  it." 

"He  dared  me  to  attempt  to  place  him  under  the  influ 
ence  of  magnetism,  and  without  any  reflection,  it  occurred 
to  me  to  try  a  novel  experiment  which  succeeded  far 
beyond  my  expectations." 

"  Explainyour  mode  of  boxing ' 

"  You  are  too  perverse,  Dr.  DuBose :  take  care  or  I  may 
serve  you  in  the  same  way." 

Going  to  the  window  he  said  in  a  low  tone,  which  he 
threatened  to  make  as  loud  as  possible  if  she  did  not 
humbly  withdraw  her  threat:  "Police!  Police!  Come 
here  and  protect  a  poor  orphan." 

Amanda  was  convulsed  with  laughter.  "  Why,  Doctor, 
why  have  you  concealed  your  sense  of  the  ridiculous  so 
long?  But  come  back  and  be  seated,  and  behave  your 
self!  Now,  please,  say  no  more  about  this  matter  to  the 
Professor,  or  to  any  one."  This  was  said  in  her  natural 
manner,  and  it  had  the  desired  effect. 

"  Miss  Amanda,  I  saw  it  all,  and  I  never  was  so  aston 
ished  or  amused  in  my  life.  I  tried  to  make  known  my 
presence,  but  you  and  Professor  Von  Donhoff  were  so  ab 
sorbed  that  you  did  not  see  me.  You  have,  I  am  sorry 
to  know,  a  very  remarkable  power.  I  beg  of  you  to  do 
all  in  your  power  to  keep  it  in  subjection,  and  never  to 
exercise  it  except  in  case  of  extreme  personal  peril.  It  is 
incomprehensible  to  me,  and  may  be  potent  for  evil  so 
far  as  your  happiness  is  concerned." 

"Then  you  believe  in  animal  magnetism  at  last?  "  She 
said. 

"  I  do  not  understand  it.    I  look  upon  this  '  Monsieur 


108  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

Etienne '  as  an  agent  of  the  devil,  and  I  am  very  sorry 
that  you  ever  heard  of  him,  or  gave  any  thought  to  such 
matters." 

"Why  do  you  fear  for  me?  I  am  neither  nervous,  ex 
citable,  nor  superstitious." 

"You  were  simply  perfect  as  you  were,  and  I  am 
jealous  of  any  influence  that  may  change  you  in  any 
respect." 

"  Let  us  talk  of  other  things,"  she  said,  resolved,  if  pos 
sible,  not  to  permit  this  good  friend  to  declare  himself  a 
lover,  and  thus  the  evening  passed  pleasantly  until 
DuBose  withdrew.  Meanwhile,  Colonel  Adams  was  still 
reading. 

One  o'clock  in  the  morning  found  Colonel  Adams  still 
in  his  library,  oppressed  with  thoughts  of  Amanda.  He 
had  taken  down  a  volume  among  the  bound  copies  of 
La  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  that  of  December  15, 
1870,  and  read  the  following  passages,  which  had  at 
tracted  his  attention  a  short  time  before : 

"The  Island  of  Bourbon,  east  of  Madagascar,  is  one  of 
the  most  unhealthy  countries  in  Europe.  The  whites 
there  form  two  classes,  or  two  races,  distinct  by  habits 
and  manners.  The  first  embraces  the  inhabitants  of  the 
cities  and  villages;  the  other,  the  poor  whites,  who,  de 
scendants  of  ancient  colonists  too  poor  to  buy  slaves, 
were  forced  to  cultivate  the  soil  with  their  own  hands. 
Yet,  proud  of  the  purity  of  their  blood,  which  consti 
tutes  in  their  eyes  noblesse,  they  will  not  ally  themselves 
by  marriage  with  a  negro  or  Indian  for  any  price  or  con 
sideration."  He  placed  the  magazine  on  the  table,  and, 
with  his  head  buried  in  his  hands,  gave  wny  to  reflec 
tion.  "It  is,  indeed,  world-wide,  this  prejudice  against 
social  equality  with  the  negro !  We,  of  New  England, 
may  be  wrong  in  assuming  that  mankind  has  erred  in 
all  ages  in  this  respect.  New  Englanders  follow  an  idea 
to  its  logical  conclusion;  that  conclusion  as  to  the 
equality  of  all  men  has  been  construed 'by  us  to  mean 
social  as  well  as  legal  equality.  But  who,  of  all  the 
world,  will  ever  think  that  our  darling  Amanda  has  the 
faintest  drop  of  negro  blood  in  her  veins?"  He  arose 
and  paced  the  room,  agitated  by  this  thought. 

Then  he  recalled  the  speech  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  made 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  109 

in  the  famous  joint  debate  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas  long 
before  he  became  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  He  had 
heard  that  speech  delivered,  and  the  following  sentences 
lingered  in  his  memory :  "  I  am  not,  nor  ever  have  been, 
in  favor  of  bringing  about  in  any  way  the  social  or  politi 
cal  equality  of  the  white  and  black  races.  I  am  not  nor 
ever  have  been  in  favor  of  making  jurors  of  negroes,  nor  of 
qualifying  them  to  hold  office,  nor  to  intermarry  with  the 
white  people.  And  I  will  say  in  addition  to  this:  thereisa 
physical  difference  between  the  white  and  black  races 
which  I  believe  will  forever  forbid  the  two  races  living 
together  on  terms  of  social  and  political  equality." 


XIV. 

Carter  Lee,  on  his  return  to  New  Haven,  was  very 
attentive  to  Amanda,  knowing  that  she  understood  his 
attachment  to  Mary  Windom.  He  could  not  under 
stand  the  sudden  change  in  Windom's  manner;  but  it 
was  so  evident  that,  just  as  he  had  persuaded  himself 
that  Mary  Windom  was  the  one  woman  on  earth  who 
was  absolutely  faultless,  he  decided  that  his  visit  must 
be  cut  short.  But  he  tried  to  excuse  his  further  stay  by 
going  no  more  to  see  Mary  Windom,  and  gaining  such 
consolation  as  he  could  from  as  frequent  visits  to 
Amanda  as  polite  usage  would  permit.  While  Amanda's 
heart  had  long  since  been  given  to  Charles  Windom,  she 
did  not  admit  it  to  any  one,  not  even  to  him,  and  her 
coquettish  nature  asserted  itself  when  Windom  and  Lee 
were  present  at  the  same  time.  She  really  liked  Lee.  and 
soon  discovered  that  the  best  way  to  entertain  him  was 
to  talk  of  Mary  Windom,  and  he  would  forget  time  when 
she  talked  of  her. 

Dr.  DuBose  prudently  withdrew;  Professor  Von  Don- 
hoff  showed  his  impatience,  but  was  not  noticed  except 
as  a  privileged  friend  of  the  whole  family.  But  Charles 
Windom  was  furiously  jealous,  and  cursed  the  day  that 
he  had  introduced  "that  fellow"  to  his  sister  and  her 
friend,  whom  he  loved  with  all  the  fiery  passion  of  his 
nature.  Amanda  knew  exactly  how  to  manage  him, 
and  rejoiced  at  the  knowledge  that  her  love  for  him  was 


110  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

reciprocated,  but  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to 
excite  his  jealousy.  One  day  Professor  Von  Donhoff, 
irritated  at  the  indifference  shown  to  his  presence,  inter 
rupted  Lee  with  the  remark:  "So  you  are  from  the 
South,  are  you?" 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  I  am." 

"  Umph !  I  should  be  sorry." 

Now,  in  all  Lee's  conversations  with  his  new  acquain 
tances  in  New  Haven,  he  had  not  once  alluded  to  his 
home  or  friends  in  the  South,  except  when  he  had  intro 
duced  his  father's  former  slave,  Bishop  Hunter,  to  the 
group  who  stood  near  him  when  the  lecturer  had  ap 
proached  him  as  he  left  the  rostrum.  Except  as  a  his; 
torical  fact,  like  the  "Revolutionary  War,"  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  war  between  the  States.  But  like  all  true 
men  everywhere,  his  sympathies  were  with  the  people  of 
his  native  land,  in  whose  defense  his  maternal  grand 
father  had  laid  down  his  life  at  the  first  battle  of  Ma- 
nassas,  and  his  elder  brother  had  received  his  mortal 
wound  at  the  battle  of  Franklin.  He  had  been  taught 
to  revere  that  brother's  memory  as  the  incarnation  of 
chivalry  and  patriotism. 

Biting  his  lip  in  the  effort  to  restrain  his  temper  in 
Amanda's  presence,  Lee  could  not  refrain  from  retort 
ing,  as  he  took  his  seat  again :  "  Doubtless  thesentiment 
of  patriotism  is  one  to  which  you  are  a  stranger." 

His  manner,  words,  deportment,  all,  indicated  the 
so-called  chivalry  of  the  duelist;  of  that  invisible  power 
which  moulds  the  conduct  and  regulates  the  passion  of 
men  in  the  Southern,  or  "late  slave,"  States,  and  places 
the  honor  of  woman  above  all  other  considerations, 
social,  political,  or  religious. 

The  manner  of  the  young  gentleman,  rather  than  the 
words,  seemed  extremely  contemptuous  and  supercilious 
to  the  irascible  Professor,  who  was  really  intensely  patri 
otic—a  Prussian  of  the  Prussians.  Had  the  opportunity 
beeugiven  him  to  have  become  a  volunteer  intimeof  war, 
he  might  have  been  a  famous  genera  1  in  the  Prussian  army. 
But  to  be  forced  to  waste  the  most  valuable  years  of  his 
life  in  "playing  soldier"  in  time  of  peace,  and  finally  or 
dered  to  the  battlefield  merely  at  the  caprice  of  a  prince 
or  emperor,  without  regard  to  the  "rights  of  man"  or 


THE   MODERN  PARIAH.  Ill 

human  liberty,  caused  him  to  prefer  exile  to  tame  sub 
mission.  Yet  he  had  arrived  in  America  too  late  to  par 
ticipate  in  the  war  between  the  States,  or  he  would  have 
enlisted  in  the  Federal  army  in  defense  of  that  Union 
which  he  considered,  like  hosts  of  his  countrymen,  the 
only  free  government  on  earth — the  bulwark  of  human 
liberty. 

He  stood  furiously  angry,  as  if  ready  to  throttle  this 
slender  youth,  whose  steel-blue  eyes  looked  a  defiance 
which  could  not  be  mistaken,  although  it  was  veiled  by  a 
contemptuous  smile  which  but  aggravated  the  more  his 
antagonist. 

Amanda  arose  and,  with  rare  tact,  said  :  "  Will  you  not 
aid  me  to  open  that  window,  Professor;  it  is  very  warm." 
He  restrained  himself  and  acquiesced, and,  while  standing 
thus,  she  placed  her  hand  in  his  and  pressed  it  gently, 
saying :  "  Say  no  more,  for  my  sake." 

The  change  in  his  face  and  expression  was  instantane 
ous,  and  his  eyes  looked  as  she  would  have  them  look, 
had  he  already  declared  himself  a  suitor  for  her  hand. 
This  scene,  however,  had  not  entirely  escaped  Lee's  eyes, 
and  he  arose  as  she  returned,  and,  turning  his  back  de 
liberately  upon  the  Professor,  extended  his  hand  to 
Amanda,  saying:  "I  only  called  to  ask  you  to  accom 
pany  me  to  the  tennis  court  to-morrow,  Miss  Amanda. 
I  cannot  thank  you  enough  for  your  exceeding  kindness 
to  me,  and  I  will  return  home  next  week." 

"Certainly,  I  will  go  with  pleasure,  Mr.  Lee." 

Then  he  quickly  withdrew  without  noticing  the 
Professor. 

While  they  were  standing  thus  together,  the  Professor 
observed,  in  spite  of  his  suppressed  anger,  the  startling 
resemblance  between  Carter  Loe  and  Amanda  Adams. 

"Who  is  this  impertinent  upstart,  Miss  Amanda?  Is 
he  a  relative  of  yours  ?  " 

"No,  indeed.  Think  no  more  of  your  difference  with 
him,  which  he  has  already  forgotten,  I  dare  say.  I  have 
only  known  him  a  short  time.  He  is  a  beau  of  my  best 
friend,  Mary  Windom,  and  is,  unfortunately,  a  South 
erner." 

"Oh!  ah!  Why  did  you  not  intimate  to  me  which  way 
the  wind  lay,  little  one?  "  said  he,  evidently  much  relieved. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"  It  is  only  a  surmise  of  mine;  he  is  quite  attentive  to 
her,  and  I  am  sure  she  likes  him  exceedingly,  and  I  .don't 
see  how  any  man  can  fail  to  fall  in  love  with  her." 

He  took  Amanda's  hand,  held  it  in  his  great  palm,  and 
slowly  raised  it  to  his  lips,  then  dropped  it  and  abruptly 
quitted  the  room.  Amanda  stood  still,  amazed  at  this 
totally  unexpected  and  needless  act.  "  How  can  I  con 
strue  it?"  she  thought.  "Can  this  old  friend  of  mine, 
whom  I  have  loved  almost  like  a  second  father,  be  think 
ing  of  falling  in  love  with  poor  little  me?  No ;  it  is  silly 
to  suspect  it."  But  his  whole  demeanor  to  her  changed 
after  that  day,  although  her  home  had  been  almost  like 
home  to  him  since  the  days  when  he  had  taken  the  child 
Amanda  upon  his  knee  and  told  her  the  tales  which  have 
made  the  Khineland  a  fairy  region  for  all  children  who 
love  fairy  tales. 

As  she  grew  older,  it  had  been  his  pleasure  to  read  to 
her,  and  have  her  read  to  him,  such  books  as  Victor 
Hugo's  delightful  sketches  of  "Le  Rhin."  Thus  her 
studies  were  guided  partly  by  him,  and  she  had  looked 
upon  his  coming  to  take  tea  and  assisting  her  in  her  studies 
in  the  evening,  while  talking  to  her  parents,  quite  as  a 
matter  of  course. 

And  now  it  dawned  upon  her  that  all  this  familiar 
friendship  was  at  an  end;  that  this  large-hearted  but 
irascible  man  of  forty  years  of  age  no  longer  treated  her 
as  a  child  whom  he  had  loved  as  a  child,  but  that  he  had 
curbed  his  great  temper  and  submitted  to  an  insult  in 
her  presence  without  resentment,  and  had  done  this  be 
cause  of  his  great  love  for  her.  It  needed  no  declaration : 
those  great  luminous  eyes  of  his  had  looked  into  hers 
with  a  deep,  earnest  love  which  language  could  not  utter. 
She  stood  with  her  hands  clasped  together,  looking  upon 
the  floor,  while  slowly  great  tears  forced  their  way  down 
her  cheeks.  She  perceived  them  at  last  and  went  to  her 
chamber,  her  mind  a  tumult  of  thoughts  in  which  sympa 
thy  for  this  great,  strong  man  was  mingled  with  admira 
tion  for  the  spirit  of  the  handsome  young  Southerner, 
whose  very  haughtiness  attracted  her  too  much  to  cause 
her  to  properly  analyze  his  rudeness.  She  felt,  however, 
that  this  was  a  confession  of  his  love  for  her.  It  was  also 
a  tacit  avowal  that  he  considered  his  love  for  her  a  hope- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  113 

less  one;  and  his  very  silence  attested  his  desire  to 
relieve  her  from  the  slightest  embarrassment. 

"It  does  not  rain  but  it  pours,"  is  an  old  maxim, 
indicating  perhaps,  the  same  thing  as  the  apothegm, 
"misfortunes  never  come  singly." 

Thus  it  seemed  to  Lee;  for,  during  his  next  visit  to 
Amanda,  an  incident  occurred  that  was  totally  unpre 
meditated  by  him. 

He  had  scarcely  left  the  house  the  day  before,  when 
Amanda,  received  a  note  from  Charles  Windom,  saying 
that  he  would  call  the  next  afternoon  to  accompany  her 
to  the  tennis  court.  It  had  been  tacitly  accepted  by  the 
public,  as  a  fact,  that  Charles  Windom  and  Amanda 
Adams  were  engaged  to  be  married — a  report  which 
neither  of  them  thought  it  worth  while  to  affirm  or  deny. 
Hence  the  young  gentlemen  of  New  Haven,  generally, 
accorded  to  Windom  those  special  privileges  demanded 
usually  by  affianced  lovers;  and  invitations  to  Miss 
Amanda  were  usually  prefaced  with  the  proviso  :  "  If  you 
have  no  previous  engagement." 

Carter  Lee,  being  a  stranger,  had  not  yet  learned  to 
adapt  himself  to  Windom's  point  of  view  in  relation  to 
his  attentions  to  Amanda,  to  whom  these  attentions 
afforded  refreshing  relief.  It  had  been  pleasant  to 
Amanda  to  know  that  she  was  assured  of  an  escort 
everywhere;  but,  as  circumstances  were  gradually  nar 
rowing  her  escorts  to  one  person,  and,  though  she  pre 
ferred  him  to  all  others,  she  was  not  loth  to  have  a 
change  for  a  time  when  so  agreeable  a  person  as  Carter 
Lee  proposed  to  act  as  her  escort. 

WTindom,  on  the  other  hand,  noticed,  first  with  sur 
prise,  then  with  anger,  that  the  young  stranger,  Lee, 
had  virtually  supplanted  him  for  the  time  at  least.  Up 
to  this  time  he  had  rarely  assumed  to  have  the  prece 
dence  which  the  public  accorded  to  him,  because  he  liked 
to  think  of  himself  as  the  favored  suitor  of  the  acknowl 
edged  belle  of  the  city,  and  he  did  not  fear  any  local 
rival.  Now,  he  exaggerated  Amanda's  preference  for 
Lee's  society.  He  determined,  therefore,  to  put  the 
matter  to  the  test  when  he  received  a  note  from  Amanda 
expressing  her  regrets  that  she  could  not  go  with  him  to 
the  tennis  court,  because  of  a  previous  engagement  to 

M.P.-8 


114  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

go  with  Mr.  Lee.  Windom  brooded  over  this  disappoint 
ment  until  the  next  day,  when  he  called  in  person  to 
protest  against  her  going  with  Lee,  and  to  demand  that 
he  should  be  permitted  to  make  public  their  engagement. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  no  positive  engagement  existed 
between  them,  further  than  the  ta.cit  avowal  tha,t  each 
of  the  parties  at  interest  contemplated  such  a  step, 
which  is  usually  the  forerunner  of  happy  results.  That 
there  would  be  an  engagement,  to  be  followed  by  mar 
riage,  no  one  who  knew  them  doubted;  for  the  whole 
community  favored  it;  and,  least  of  all,  did  Amanda 
doubt  it.  But,  from  the  evening  of  the  seance  of  Mon 
sieur  Etienne,  Windonrs  jealousy  had  been  excited,  and 
he  was  beginning  to  fear  that  he  might  lose  Amanda  if 
he  permitted  the  growing  intimacy  between  Lee  and  her 
self  to  continue,  and  he  resolved  to  bring  matters  to  a 
crisis  one  way  or  the  other.  At  the  hour  appointed, 
Carter  Lee  called  to  escort  Amanda  to  the  tennis 
grounds,  when  a  little  accident — an  entirely  unpremedi 
tated  incident — caused  these  two  personal  friends  of  the 
week  before  to  become  suddenly  and  seriously  estranged. 
Whether  by  accident,  or  because  the  Irish  servant  had 
just  been  employed  and  was  ignorant  of  her  duties,  she 
had  ushered  Lee  immediately  in  the  parlor,  without 
announcing  his  arrival,  and  he  was  stopped  at  the 
threshold  by  a  scene  which  surprised  and  disconcerted 
him.  On  the  farther  side  of  the  parlor  stood  Windom 
holding  both  the  hands  of  Amanda,  and  pleading  ear 
nestly  for  an  immediate  answer.  "  Once  for  all,  I  repeat, 
for  this  thing  must  go  no  farther,"  Lee  heard  him  say. 
He  was  about  to  retire  when,  by  a  change  of  position, 
Amanda  saw  him  standing  in  the  doorway.  Startled 
and  confused  by  his  appearance  under  such  circum 
stances,  she  who,  a  moment  before,  had  been  gentleness 
personified,  suddenly  wrested  her  hands  from  W'indom's 
grasp  and  greeted  Lee  cordially.  Lee  extended  his  hand 
and  apologized  for  his  intrusion.  The  demon  of  jeal 
ousy  prompted  Windom  to  turn  his  back  when  Lee 
advanced  to  greet  him  until  Amanda  said  : 
"This  is  your  friend,  Mr.  Lee,  Mr.  Windom." 
Windom 's  face  showed  anger,  vexation,  mortification. 
There  stood  the  man  who,  he  thought,  stood  between 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  115 

him  and  his  happiness — the  man  who  had  done  his  ut 
most  to  win  the  affections  of  this  girl  whom  he  had  loved 
all  his  life — and  now,  just  as  his  success  was  assured,  his 
sudden  appearance  had  spoiled  it  all. 

"And,  I  am  very,  very  glad  to  have  you  gentlemen 
meet  each  other,"  Amanda  added,  for  in  her  embarrass 
ment  she  did  not  know  what  to  say,  but  appreciated 
that  silence  would  add  to  the  trouble. 

Lee  bowed  formally  to  Windom  as  he  noted  his  expres 
sion,  while  Windom  turned  to  Amanda  and  said  :  "  Good 
bye,  Miss  Amanda ;  1  '11  call  again,  and  when  I  do  I  will  be 
sure  to  send  in  my  card  before  I  enter." 

This  was  said  with  so  contemptuous  a  glance  at  Lee 
that  that  hot-headed  youth  responded:  "Permit  me  to 
hand  you  mine  now,  sir;  you  know  my  address." 

"Perfectly,"  returned  Windom;  "and  I  receive  and 
accept  it  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  given." 

Now,  while  Amanda  saw  that  trouble  was  brewing 
between  the  two  men,  she  never  for  a  moment  thought  of 
a  duel.  A  duel — a  challenge  in  the  civilized  State  of  Con 
necticut!  Such  a  contingency  was  preposterous. 

Nothing  could  have  been  less  premeditated  by  Lee  than 
this  unfortunate  termination  of  a  visit  to  which  he  had 
looked  forward  with  much  pleasure.  But  the  damage 
was  done  now,  and  he  could  do  nothing  but  await  fur 
ther  developments.  He  remained  at  his  hotel  all  day, 
hoping  that  Windom,  whom  he  knew  to  be  a  noble- 
hearted  man,  would  realize  how  unjustly  he  had  acted 
and  would  therefore  send  him  an  apology. 

In  truth  Windom  wrote  half  a  dozen  letters  to  Lee 
trying  to  explain  it,  but  as  often  did  he  destroy  them, 
for  his  better  nature  was  overruled  by  his  jealousy,  and  he 
determined  to  humiliate  Lee  or  force  him  to  fight. 

The  tennis  club  assembled,  and  Carter  Lee  was  present 
as  the  escort  of  Amanda. 

In  order  to  avoid  any  publicity  concerning  the  letter 
which  he  had  received  that  day  from  Windom,  request 
ing  him  to  name  a  place  of  meeting  outside  the  State  of 
Connecticut  where  the  correspondence  might  be  resumed, 
he  decided  to  post  his  answer  on  his  return  from  the  ten 
nis  club,  and  then  to  leave  for  New  York  by  the  first 
train. 


116  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

Nor  could  any  one  see  in  his  manner  or  speech  any 
thing  which  foretold  the  struggle  which  was  going  on  in 
his  heart.  He  seemed  even  merry  during  the  progress  of 
the  game,  though  he  did  not  participate.  He  longed  for 
an  opportunity  to  talk  with  Mary  Windom,  but  had  to 
content  himself  with  a  few  brief  moments  at  the  conclu 
sion  of  the  game. 

"I  regret  to  say  that  I  must  return  to  New  York  by 
the  next  train,"  said  Lee,  as  the  players  were  preparing 
to  leave  the  tennis  court. 

"What!  And  are  you  going  away  without  calling  to 
see  mamma?"  said  Mary. 

"  I  am  extremely  sorry  that  I  have  to  do  so,  Miss  Win 
dom.  Will  you  please  express  my  deep  regrets?  But 
really  I  am  forced  to  go  this  evening." 

"I  am  sorry — no,  I  am  not  sorry  one  bit !  You  ought 
not  to  treat  us  so.  Amanda,  you  must  insist  on  his 
staying  a  few  days  longer,"  she  added,  as  she  saw  the 
serious  look  in  his  eyes. 

"Good-bye,  Miss  Windom,"  he  said,  as  he  placed  her 
shawl  around  her,  thus  taking  advantage  of  the  oppor 
tunity  that  this  act  afforded  him  and  speaking  in  an 
undertone:  "Please  don't  misunderstand  me,  for  you 
must  know  that  I  would  rather  call  to  see  you  than  any 
one  on  earth  if  circumstances  would  permit." 

She  did  not  reply,  but  looked  up  with  a  timid  glance  of 
surprised  gladness — a  glance  which  seemed  to  answer 
him  as  he  would  be  answered,  and  only  said :  "  Thank 
you ;  I  shall  always  be  glad  to  see  you." 

Lee  escorted  Amanda  back  to  her  home,  but  bade  her 
adieu  at  the  gate. 

"  Mr.  Lee,  I  am  so  fearful  that  something  is  wrong  be 
tween  you  and  Mr.  Windom,"  she  said ;  "  please,  for  my 
sake,  forgive  him." 

"Miss  Amanda,  give  yourself  no  uneasiness;  both  for 
your  sake  and  his  sister's  I  would  do  anything  not 
inconsistent  with  the  honor  of  a  gentleman.  Until  yes 
terday  I  thought  Windom  was  the  best  friend  I  had  on 
earth.  Good-bye ! " 

Amanda  knew  that  a  serious  difference  existed  between 
them  and  was  unhappy  because  of  it.  An  entirely  acci 
dental  incident  had  been  construed  by  Windom  as  a  pre- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  117 

meditated  one.  Charles  Windom's  jealousy  had  become 
morbid,  and  had  stifled  that  better  nature  which  had 
prompted  him  to  write  a  dozen  letters  of  apology 
only  to  destroy  them,  until  at  last  he  determined 
to  humiliate  Lee,  or  face  him  to  fight  a  duel. 

Mary  Windom  had  been  escorted  to  the  tennis  court 
by  Dr.  DuBose,  and  the  four  thus  met  again.  While  she 
had  seemed  to  be  preoccupied,  as  she  walked  home  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  game,  her  face  was  radiant  with  happi 
ness,  and,  as  she  entered  her  home — Dr.  DuBose  having 
declined  to  enter  the  parlor  and  returned  to  his  office — 
she  met  her  brother  in  the  hall  dressed  as  if  for  a  jour 
ney. 

"  Why  Charley,  where  are  you  going?  I  wish  you  had 
been  with  us  to-day,  we  had  a  lovely  time." 

"  Who  was  there?  "  he  asked,  rather  brusquely. 

"  Oh !  all  the  club,  with  one  charming  addition — your 
friend,  Mr.  Lee,  who  came  with  Amanda." 

"Indeed!  I  am  glad  that  I  was  not  present;  I  have 
no  use  for  the  fellow ! "  and  with  that  speech  her  brother 
left  her  as  he  had  never  done  before,  his  face  as  black  as 
a  thunder-cloud.  Mary  had  never  seen  him  so  angry  be 
fore,  and  she  could  not  fathom  the  mystery.  An  hour 
before,  the  world  was  all  sunshine;  now  the  brother, 
whom  she  loved  so  devotedly,  had  shattered  her  castle  in 
the  air.  She  knesv  that  Charles  Windom  was  the  soul  of 
honor,  and  she  knew  that  she  had  given  her  heart  to  the 
man  whom  he  so  indignantly  alluded  to  as  "the  fellow." 
What  did  it  mean?  Alas!  she  little  thought  that  she 
had  added, fuel  to  the  flames  of  jealousy. 


XV. 

Of  the  one  hundred  thousand  citizens  of  New  York  City 
of  Southern  birth,  a  large  number  are  leaders  in  financial 
and  commercial  circles  of  that  American  metropolis. 
Ruined  homes  and  fortunes,  charred  dwellings,  desolate 
households,  greeted  their  return  from  Appomattox  a 
quarter  of  a  century  previous;  and  thousands  resolved 
to  win  back  their  lost  fortunes  in  this  Northern  city. 


118  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

That  they  have  done  so  "goes  without  saying;"  so  that 
the  expression  "Go  East,  young  man,"  has  become 
axiomatic.  And  among  the  thousands  gathered  there, 
it  was  not  strange  that  Carter  Lee  found  a  friend  who 
was  not  yet  educated  to  believe  that  the  duelist  was  a 
criminal,  and  the  "code"  the  offshoot  of  the  barbarism 
incidental  to  the  extinct  "institution"  of  slavery.  He 
found  this  friend,  Wilmer  by  name,  at  the  Manhattan 
Club,  of  which  both  of  these  young  men  were  members. 
Wilmer  was  the  senior  of  the  two  by  five  years,  and  had 
" gone  through "  his  patrimony,  a  plantation  near  the 
Georgia  plantation  of  Carter  Lee,  in  the  orthodox  fash 
ion.  That  is  to  say,  he  had  steadily  expended  two  dollars 
in  the  effort  to  make  one  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  the  chapter.  His  hounds  were  of  the  best  imported 
breeds,  and  no  fox  hunts  equaled  those  inaugurated  by 
Wilmer  in  that  county,  noted  as  it  had  been  in  the  ante 
bellum  days  for  its  horses,  hounds,  and  hunters.  And 
yet  the  young  planter  was  full  of  energy,  and  the  com 
mon  prediction  was  that  he  would  be  rich  some  day. 
But  "Progress"  wrecked  him  on  the  altar  of  energy. 
The  largest  crops  in  the  county  per  acre  were  accredited 
to  Wilmer's  plantation ;  and  at  the  annual  county  fair 
his  "Short  horns"  and  "Berkshire  Whites"  took  the 
blue  ribbon  invariably.  Withal  he  was  a  delightful 
companion,  and  Lee  was  partly  delighted,  partly  grieved, 
to  find  that  adversity  had  caused  him  to  sell  out,  "lock, 
stock,  and  barrel,"  as  he  expressed  it.  Thus,  with  the 
few  thousand  dollars  left,  Wilmer  had  followed  the  advice 
of  a  friend  to  "Go  East,  young  man,"  and  had  learned 
already  the  meaning  of  the  cabalistic  words  "puts"  and 
"calls;"  and  he  had  learned  it  to  his  sorrow.  This  fact 
no  one  would  have  imagined  from  his  manner  or  conver 
sation,  however;  for,  so  long  as  Wilmer  had  a  thousand 
dollars  to  his  credit,  he  was  apparently  as  happy  as  a 
lord. 

But  he  was  not  deficient  in  common  sense,  and  was  not 
losing  time  in  his  own  estimation. 

"I've  had  some  new  experience  to-day,  Lee,"  said  he, 
as  they  drank  together. 

"  That  is  tantamount  to  saying  that  you  have  enjoyed 
the  day,"  said  Lee. 


THE    MODERN    PAIUAH.  Ill) 

"Not  by  a  long  shot!"  responded  Wilrner  ;  "it's  the 
first  time  in  my  life  that  I  ever  was  snubbed — posi 
tively  snubbed ! " 

"How  did  it  happen?"  said  Lee,  laughing. 

"Did  you  ever  try  to  get  a  situation — get  employment 
— try  to  make  your  living  by  working  for  other  people?  " 

"Notup  to  date, "said  Lee;  "but  I  don't  know  how  long 
it  will  be  before  I  will  have  it  to  do." 

"  Do  you  ever  pray,  Lee?  " 

"What  do  you  mean,  Wilmer?" 

"I  mean  what  I  ask:  do  you  ever  get  down  on  your 
knees  at  night,  just  as  you  used  to  when  a  child  ?  " 

"That  is  a  singular  question,"  replied  Lee,  "and  one 
which  I  do  not  feel  called  upon  to  answer." 

"All  right ;  don't  answer  it;  but  1  will  bet  that  you  do 
— about  once  a  year,  say.  You  may  not  actually  get 
down  on  your  knees,  but  you  do  it  mentally,  all  the 
same." 

"  Well,  admitting  that  all  of  us  do,  what  of  it  ?  " 

"Just  this :  the  next  time  you  appeal  to  the  Almighty, 
beseech  Him  to  keep  you  from  seeking 'a  situation 'in 
New  York  City ;  that's  all." 

Lee  was  silent,  but  his  laughing  eyes  showed  that  he 
anticipated  more. 

Lighting  a  cigar,  and  handing  one  to  Lee,  Wilmer 
continued : 

"I  followed  old  Crutch's  advice  just  one  time  too 
often,  and  I'm  flat " 

"  <  Of  silver  and  gold  have  I  none,  but  such  as  I  have, 
I  give  unto  thee.'  Command  my  slender  purse,  my 
friend,"  said  Lee. 

" ' No  more,  an'  thou  lovest  me,'  Lee;  it's  not  so  bad 
as  that.  I've  got  a  thousand,  or  so,  left.  But  to  my 
experience.  You  remember  my 'phenomenal  success  as 
a  farmer,'  as  the  county  paper  described  my  bucolic 
operations,  don't  you?  " 

Lee  bowed  his  assent. 

"Very  well;  I  have  been  banking  on  that  to-day. 
Southern  planter — cotton — guano — and  all  that."  This 
was  said  with  a  pompous  gesture  that  expressed  much. 

Lee  laughed  gaily,  and  asked:  "Did  you  find  them 
good  collaterals  in  this  market,  Wilmer?  " 


120  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"Good  God!  Lee,  let's  go  back  home;  these  folks 
don't  know  us  from  a  side  of  sole  leather — don't  appre 
ciate  us,  in  fact." 

"  Indeed ;  how  do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"By  the  lamp  of  experience,  my  boy — the  lamp  of 
experience.  God  bless  its  rays !  You  remember,  don't 
you,  my  reputation  for  raising  big  crops  on  a  few  acres 
as  compared  to  the  crops  raised  by  my  neighbors?  " 

Lee  nodded  his  head  in  assent. 

"  Very  well ;  the  brand  of  fertilizer  that  I  used  chiefly 
was  sold  by  a  firm  of  manufacturers  in  this  city,  and 
to-day  I  called  on  them  and  offered  to  become  their 
State  agent  down  there.  I  thought  that  they  would 
jump  at  the  chance  of  having  a  gentleman  to  represent 
them,  but  they  only  asked  me  two  questions,  and  then 
informed  me  that  they  had  no  use  for  my  services." 

"Have  you  read  'Plutocracy,'  a  novel  by  one  of  our 
Senators?"  asked  Lee. 

"  No ;  is  it  interesting?  " 

"  Quite  so.  Let  me  quote  you  a  volume  in  a  half  page 
from  it.  The  speakers  are,  Mr.  Smiling,  a  Wall  street 
millionaire,  and  Mr.  Margin,  his  broker: 

"'Have  you  got  hardened  like  Long?'  asked  Mr. 
Smiling. 

" '  Yes;  I  know  no  friend  in  business.  Speculators  pay 
the  piper  and  do  their  own  dancing,  while  I  look  on 
without  concern  if  margins  are  good.' 

" '  Well,  I've  been  interested  in  your  experience,  and  will 
say  I  like  you  as  a  broker  better  than  ever  before.  I 
don't  want  a  broker  who  has  a  heart.  I  pay  for  his 
head.  Now  tell  me  how  I  stand  in  W.  &  0.' 

" '  Your  account  stands :  amount  of  two  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars  in  bonds ;  profit  on  the  transaction,  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  after  deducting 
commissions,  for  which  here  is  my  check  to  your  order.' 

"  But  which  of  them  thought  of,  or  felt  for,  the  lambs 
they  had  shorn  and  turned  out  to  the  winter,  and,  may 
be,  to  want?  That  three  quarters  of  a  million — reaped 
without  a  scythe,  garnered  without  work — represented 
the  active  brawn  and  sweat  of  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  laborers  for  one  hundred  days  at  one  dollar  a 
day,  and  yet  that  vast  sum  was  not  the  addition  of  one 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  121 

dollar  to  the  country's  wealth.  It  was  but  one  more,  a 
very  slight  turn  of  the  thumbscrews ;  one  more  transfer 
with  no  equivalent,  from  the  credit  side  of  labor  to  the 
credit  side  of  capital ;  one  more  stone  laid  in  the  temple 
being  erected  in  this  land  of  Democracy  to  Mammon: 
one  more  accession  to  the  power  and  ultimate  rule  of 
Plutocracy;  one  more  step  in  the  decline  of  the 
Republic." 

"Rewrites  well, "said  Wilmer ;"  but  I'll  bet  he  was  long 
on  cotton  when  he  wrote  that.  The  world's  all  right, 
Lee;  I  was  jesting  about  returning  home.  I  mean  to 
stay  here  and  rob  these  robbers  with  their  own  coin." 

"  So  mote  it  be,  amen ! "  said  Lee.  "  But,  jesting  aside, 
Wilmer,  will  you  do  me  a  favor — the  greatest  favor  that 
can  be  asked  of  a  friend?  No,  no,  not  that — put  your 
purse  back  in  your  pocket — it  is  a  far  graver  matter  than 
the  mere  lack  of  money." 

"  You  don't  say !     Can  there  be  a  greater  trouble  ?  " 

Lee's  face  had  assumed  its  most  serious  expression, 
and  his  friend  saw  that,  underneath  all  the  raillery  in 
which  he  had  indulged,  was  a  serious  trouble. 

"  Wilmer,"  said  Lee,  "suppose  one  of  your  best  friends 
insulted  you  grossly,  what  would  you  do?  Remember, 
we  are  not  in  the  South  now,  and  answer  as  you  would 
answer  a  brother." 

"  Lee,  I  hope  the  matter  has  not  gone  as  far  as  your 
words  imply.  You  must  have  noticed  the  press  com 
ments  about  the  shootingscrape  in  the  Southern  Society 
rooms  last  week;  there  was  not  one  favorable  criticism." 

"Then  you  would  advise  me  to  pocket  the  insult — take 
it  as  a  New  Yorker  would  ?  " 

"No;  not  that  way.  But  I  must  first  know  the  cir 
cumstances  that  caused  it  before  advising  a  friend  whom 
I  esteem  as  I  do  you.  Tell  me  about  it." 

Thus  admonished,  Lee  related  all  that  had  occurred, 
omitting  all  allusion  to  his  love  for  Mary  Windom. 

"Are  you  engaged  to  be  married  to  this  Miss  Adams?" 
asked  Wilmer. 

"No;  neither  am  I  in  love  with  her;  but  Windom  is  des 
perately  smitten  with  her,  and  imagines  that  we  are  at 
tached  to  each  other,  or,  rather,  that  1  am  trying  to  cut 
him  out." 


122  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

"  If  such  were  the  facts,  would  you  be  more  lenient  in 
your  criticism  of,  or  feelings  to,  Mr.  Windom?  " 

"Well,  yes;  I  suppose  I  would." 

"  Then  that  is  the  way  you  must  look  at  it.  Are  there 
any  special  reasons  why  you  should  dislike  him ,  or  why 
he  should  wish  to  humiliate  you? " 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  would  rather  have  a  difficulty  with 
any  man  on  earth.  It  was  through  his  invitation — his 
courtesy — that  I  met  those  charming  New  Haven  people." 

"By  George!  It  does  seem  a  poor  return  for  his  cour 
tesy,"  said  Wilmer.  "See  here,  Lee,  go  to  your  room 
and  stay  there,  and  I  will  call  to-morrow  morning,  and  a 
night's  reflection  will  help  us  solve  the  matter." 

"Then  you  will  not  act  for  me  unless  your  judgment, 
or  conscience,  or  what  not,  approves  ?"  said  Lee. 

"  Confound  it  all,  man,  of  course  I  will!  Whether  you 
are  in  the  wrong  or  not, I  will  act  for  you.  But,  by  God ! 
Lee,  I'd  challenge  you  myself  if,  after  I  did  so,  you  would 
condescend  to  do  a  mean  or  unjust  act  just  to  gratify 
public  opinion?" 

"All  right;  Wilmer;  you  will  incur  no  risk  on  that 
score." 

And  thus  the  two  friends  separated,  Wilmer  going  into 
the  smoking  room  of  the  club,  and  Lee  returning  to  his 
hotel,  a  prey  to  thoughts  of  the  most  conflicting  char 
acter. 

To  go  into  battle,  feeling  that  you  are  serving  your 
country  and  defending  your  home  and  loved  ones,  ap 
peals  to  the  noblest  and  most  heroic  sentiments  that  an 
imate  mankind.  But  to  go  upon  the  so-called  "field  of 
honor,"  with  the  deliberate  purpose  of  killing  a  fellow- 
man  in  revenge  for  an  insult,  real  or  fancied,  is  an  ordeal 
whichall  bravemen  instinctively  shrinkfrom.  And  to  do 
so  in  order  to  kill  the  man  to  whom  he  had  been  indebted 
for  the  pleasantest  experience  of  his  life,  and  to  thus  face 
with  deadly  intent  the  brother  of  the  girl  whom  he  now 
realized  he  loved  more  than  life  itself — this  was  the  most 
cruel  ordeal  to  which  such  a  chivalric  nature  as  Carter 
Lee's  could  be  subjected. 

Whether  purposely,  or  accidentally,  Lee's  walk  to  his 
hotel  took  him  past  the  home  of  Mr.  De  Brosses,  and,  as 
it  was  yet  early  in  the  evening,  he  yielded  to  the  impulse 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  123 

to  call  upon  Miss  De  Brosses.  There  were  visitors  pres 
ent,  and  Mr.  De  Brosses,  who  had  been  talking  to  Lee 
while  the  other  young  gentlemen  were  being  entertained 
by  his  daughter,  invited  him  into  the  library  to  smoke. 
Lee  accepted,  and  intentionally  led  the  conversation  to 
the  subject  of  dueling. 

"Have  you  read  Don  Quixote?"  asked  Mr.  De 
Brosses. 

"Yes,  long  ago,  and  enjoyed  it." 

"Would  you  consider  him  a  good  model  for  the  rising 
young  men  of  to-day  ?  " 

"Well,  no,  sir;  on  the  contrary,  I  would  suggest  the 
civilization  of  the  French  and  the  Germans  of  to-day," 
Lee  replied . 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  old  gentleman,  with  a  tone  and 
look  of  contempt.  "The  tilting  at  windmills  by  Don 
Quixote  was  more  dangerous  than  the  duels  fought  in 
Germany  and  France  to-day.  They  prick  each  other 
with  a  sword,  draw  a  little  blood,  pronounce  'honor' 
satisfied,  and  shake  hands  over  a  glass  of  wine.  The 
prizes  of  our  modern  life  are  too  great — the  arena  for 
active  work  too  extended,  to  justify  this  boyish  and  bar 
barous  practice." 

"How  long  have  you  thought  thus  about  dueling?" 
queried  Lee. 

"All  my  life,  sir;  as  all  of  our  sensible  Northern  people 
do.  It  is  the  one  subject  on  which  your  father  and  1 
always  differed." 

"  Then  my  father  favored  dueling  ?  • '  said  Lee. 

"Oh,  yes;  it  was  a  part  of  his  heritage;  Southerners 
always  did  favor  it.  In  fact  slavery  and  dueling  were 
pronounced  the  twin  barbarisms  of  American  civili 
zation." 

"New  Yorkers  fought  duels;  your  political  Moses, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  was  killed  in  one,"  replied  Lee. 

"Yes,  and  Burr  was  miserable  ever  after;  two  of  the 
most  brilliant  and  useful  lives  that  ever  graced  this 
country  were  ended  by  that  baleful  practice.  It  was 
murder  sanctioned  by  a  false  social  standard." 

"How  do  you  Northern  men  resent  insults,  then?" 
asked  Lee. 

"When  they  encounter  a  stone  wall  in  front  of  them 


124  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

they  go  around  it,  while  your  hot-headed  Southerners 
seem  to  prefer  to  butt  their  brains  out  against  it,"  said 
Mr.  De  Brosses. 

Miss  Katherine  De  Brosses  was  standing  in  the  door 
way  listening,  for  her  visitors  had  left  the  parlor. 
Turning  his  head,  Lee  saw  her,  and  immediately  placed  a 
chair  for  her  near  her  father,  saying:  "I  am  glad  that 
you  came  in,  Miss  Kitty,  for  your  father  has  just  worsted 
me  in  another  argument." 

"I  heard  part  of  it,  and  side  with  you:  I  approve  of 
dueling,"  she  said,  with  an  arch  look  at  her  father. 
"The  deuce  you  do  ! "  laughingly  said  the  old  gentleman. 
"Why,  Mr.  Lee,  she  is  as  afraid  of  a  mouse  as  of 
death!'* 

"That's  quite  another  thing,"  she  answered;  "a 
mouse  is  the  most  horrid  creature  on  earth." 

"And  a  man?  "  suggested  Lee. 

"Is  the  next  most  horrid  creature,"  said  the  young 
lady,  much  to  her  father's  amusement.  He  liked  to  know 
that  his  daughter  was  a  belle,  but  he  thought  that  ro 
man  on  earth  was  good  enough  for  her.  If  a  man  showed 
her  especial  attention,  it  aroused  his  enmity  at  once. 

"My  daughter,"  said  he,  rising  to  retire  and  pointing 
to  the  clock,  "remember  that  the  gas  must  be  turned 
off  at  10.30  o'clock." 

"  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise " 

"  Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy  and  wise,"  quoted  his 
daughter;  "but  that  foolish  aphorism,  father,  does  not 
apply  to  women." 

"Yes  it  does;  and  I  must  request  you,  Mr.  Lee,  to  see 
that  she  observes  it  this  evening." 

"Lee  bowed,  yet  with  a  mental  reservation,  for  he 
knew  that  he  was  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter 
when  with  this  charming  girl.  He  drew  his  watch  and 
observed  that  it  was  already  nearly  10  o'clock. 

"We  have  only  a  half  hour  to  talk,"  said  he,  in  a  re 
gretful  tone  to  Miss  De  Brosses. 

*'  It  is  too  bad,"  she  replied  ;  "  I  am  awfully  tempted  to 
turn  back  the  clock." 

"And  deceive  your  father!"  said  Lee,  with  mock 
solemnity. 

"  Yea,  verily,  "  she  answered. 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  125 

"Miss  Kitty,  I'm  shocked;  I  can't  encourage  such 
treason,  for  you  might  deceive  me  some  of  these  days." 

"You  need  not  harbor  that  delusion;  you  can  spare 
yourself  all  anxiety,"  she  replied,  with  a  courtesy. 

"  But  it  is  the  very  thing  which  I  do  not  wish  to  be  de 
prived  of.  Life  would  be  uninteresting  if  it  was  not  full 
of  anxiety;  I  throw  myself  on  your  mercy,  however." 

"And  I  will  be  merciful,  never  fear.  But  what  did  you 
find  to  talk  about  to  father  so  long  this  evening?  You 
are  to  be  congratulated,  for  few  young  men  seem  to  in 
terest  him  at  all." 

"Let  me  see,"  said  Lee;  but  the  more  he  reflected  he 
could  not  remember  any  subject  that  they  had  discussed 
except  dueling,  and  he  answered  : 

"He  cross-questioned  me  about  the  code — wanted  to 
know  all  about  dueling." 

"Did  he  tell  you  that  he  had  fought  a  duel,  once?  " 

"  No,  indeed  !  Is  it  true — when  ?  where  ?  " 

"  When  he  was  a  student  at  Heidelberg,  Germany." 

"  Vraiment !    Pray,  tell  me  about  it." 

"If  you  will  promise  not  to  tell  him  that  I  have  told 
you  about  it?"  • 

"Certainly;  I  am  ready  to  make  you  any  promise  on 
earth  to-night." 

Lee  did  not  mean  all  that  this  implied,  and  he  did 
Miss  De  Brosses  injustice;  she  was  not  the  careless, 
frivolous  being  that  she  sometimes  appeared  to  be.  He 
liked  her  exceedingly;  indeed,  he  admired  her  more  than 
any  girl  whom  he  had  ever  known  except  Mary  Windom ; 
and  he  could  not  fail  to  admit  to  himself  that  she  was 
intellectually  superior  to  Mary  Windom.  But  there  was 
an  indescribable  charm  about  Miss  Windom — an  "  affin 
ity,"  so  to  speak,  that,  in  his  mind,  no  one  else  on  earth 
possessed.  He  admired  arid  liked  Kitty  De  Brosses;  he 
loved  Mary  Windom  with  every  fibre  of  his  nature. 
With  the  former  he  was  ever  gay,  careless,  and  at  ease, 
and  he  never  imagined  that  anything  he  might  say 
would  wound  her  feelings ;  with  the  latter  he  was  gentle 
always,  and  every  accent  that  he  uttered,  every  glance 
that  met  her  timid,  yet  trustful  eyes,  were  evidences  of 
his  love  that  would  protect  and  shield  her  from  every 
sorrow  and  guard  her  happiness  as  the  flower  of  his  own. 


126  THE   MODEEN   PARIAH. 

And  he  knew  that  this  great  love  was  thoroughly  re 
ciprocated.  Could  ho  have  read  the  heart  of  the  girl  to 
whom  he  now  talked  so  lightly,  he  would  have  scorned 
to  have  uttered  sentiments  which  she  believed  to  be  sin 
cere,  but  which  he  uttered  only  to  gratify  the  vanity  of 
this  petted  and  spoiled  young  heiress. 

The  story  which  she  told  him  was  romantic  in  the  ex 
treme,  and  changed  his  opinion  of  the  real  character  of 
the  now  venerable  gentleman  who  lived  in  this  luxu 
rious  home  with  his  only  and  motherless  child.  Her 
father  had  slain  his  antagonist  who  was  her  mother's 
brother,  and  whose  opposition  to  their  marriage  and 
vindictive  hostility  had  forced  the  fatal  duel,  which  her 
father  had  earnestly  sought  to  avoid.  "  My  uncle  did  not 
think  that  my  father  was  my  mother's  social  equal,  and 
you  know  that  he  is  the  peer  of  any  one  in  America,"  she 
exclaimed,  proudly. 

"And  in  the  light  of  these  facts,  Miss  Kitty,  do  you 
still  favor  dueling  ?  " 

"No,  indeed;  I  have  a  horror  of  it,  and  this  horror  is 
intensified  in  dreams.  Sometimes  I  dream  that  I  am 

betrothed  and — and "  She  ceased  and  burst  into 

tears,  as  if  she  could  see  again  the  nightmare  which  had 
oppressed  her  sleeping  thoughts. 

"I  understand  it  all  now,  Miss  Kitty;  you  so  ex 
pressed  yourself  in  order  to  show  your  sympathy  for 
your  father." 

"That  is  it,"  she  said.  "And  that  is  why  I  inter 
rupted  you  so  brusquely ;  I  knew  that  my  poor  father 
would  pass  a  sleepless  night  after  talking  on  this  unfor 
tunate  subject." 

Here,  indeed,  was  a  revelation.  This  bright,  accom 
plished,  beautiful  girl  had  a  noble  heart,  destined  to 
bless  some  man  if  he  were  worthy  of  her.  Unconsciously, 
in  trying  to  soothe  her  and  express  his  genuine  sympa 
thy  for  hor  sorrow,  Lee's  hand  had  touched  her  head, 
buried  in  her  hands  as  she  gave  way  to  tears,  and  as 
unconsciously  his  hand  gently  stroked  her  hair.  She 
looked  up  smilingly  amid  the  tears,  and  recalled  him  to 
his  senses,  but  too  late  to  undo  the  impression  that  he 
had  created. 

She  was  standing  now  as  he  rose  to  bid  her  good- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  127 

night,  for  the  clock  had  already  passed  the  limit 
allowed. 

Taking  one  of  his  hands  in  both  of  hers,  she  looked  up 
to  him  with  a  glance  of  unmistakable  meaning,  and 
said : 

"Promise  me,  Mr.  Lee,  that  you  will  never  fight  a 
duel.  If  you  were  killed  it  would  make  me  as  miserable 
as  father  is." 

Lee  drew  back  as  if  stunned,  for  this  was  at  once  a 
confession  of  her  love  for  him,  and  of  his  unintentional 
treachery  to  her ;  and  he  was  conscious  of  the  fact  that 
he  was  determined  to  accept  Windom's  challenge  the 
next  day. 

"I  did  not  think  it  possible,"  he  said,  looking  down 
into  her  pleading  eyes  as  he  spoke,  "that  I  could  refuse 
any  request  that  you  can  make ;  but  you  must  feel  that 
a  gentleman  should  not  make  such  a  promise." 

She  looked  up  as  if  in  doubt  as  to  her  influence  over 
him,  but  he  seemed  to  be  so  frank,  so  manly  that  she 
did  not  insist.  True,  he  had  not  embraced  her — had  not 
drawn  her  to  him  and  kissed  her;  as  he  surely  knew  he 
might  have  done,  but  she  liked  him  all  the  more  for  his 
self-control,  and  she  did  not  doubt  that  he  loved  her. 

No  man  had  yet  failed  to  address  her  if  she  desired 
him  to,  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  many  had  done  so 
after  such  encouragement  as  would  lead  them  to  hope 
for  success.  Lee  alone  had  failed  to  say  to  her  that  she 
was  the  one  woman  on  earth  whom  he  loved — whom  he 
wished  to  make  his  wife.  And  Lee  alone  had  inspired 
that  reciprocal  attachment  which  would  have  com 
manded  an  immediate  and  unconditional  surrender  had 
he  asked  it.  Fortunately  he  did  not  ask  it. 


XVI. 

"Professor,  is  there  no  way  to  stop  these  foolish 
young  men  from  fighting  a  duel?  "  said  Colonel  Adams. 

"  The  cause  of  this  challenge  seems  so  trivial,  that 
such  a  step,  even  in  the  barbarous  lands  where  dueling 
is  recognized  as  respectable,  is  totally  unwarranted  by 
good  sense  or  proper  feeling." 


128  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"You  are  talking  like  a  man— like  that  antithesis  of 
a  lawyer,  a  humane  man — when  you  speak  thus,"  re 
plied  the  Professor.  "Now,  reflect  a  moment:  did  you 
ever  know  of  any  serious  difficulty  that  did  not  arise 
from  what  seemed  a  trivial  cause  ?  A  duel  has  such  an 
origin  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten." 

"  Then  it  is  abominable  at  its  best !  " 

"Did  you  ever  read  a  novel  which  did  not  describe 
how  one  of  the  prominent  characters  therein  depicted 
did  not  overcome  his  rival?  " 

"Then  you  think  jealousy  is  at  the  bottom  of  this 
trouble?" 

"I  will  not  go  so  far  as  that,"  said  the  Professor,  con 
scious  of  an  occasional  feeling  of  jealousy  himself.  "  But 
I  believe  that  men  are  but  grown-up  boys,  and  the  chip 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  small  boy  evolves  into  the  chal 
lenge  on  the  part  of  the  man.  I  am  amused  frequently 
when  I  think  of  the  half-dozen  duels  I  fought  when  at 
Heidelberg  as  a  student,  and  the  insignificant  causes 
which  led  to  them." 

"You  surely  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  are  a 
duelist?"  said  Colonel  Adams.  "  You  are  certainly  not 
such  a  barbarian  as  that  acknowledgment  would  imply." 

"  Put  it  in  the  past  tense,  my  friend;  I  was  a  duelist.  I 
am  not  one  now.  The  status  of  public  opinion  deter 
mines  whether  it  is  incumbent  on  a  man  to  fight  duels,  or, 
indeed,  to  resent  insults  personally." 

"  I  don't  believe  it  is  ever  legitimate;  and  I  think  pub 
lic  opinion  in  the  North  and  East  is  strongly  in  favor  of 
inflicting  the  extreme  penalty  when  the  laws  are  thus 
defied.  But  the  emergency  is  on  us  now,  for  Windom  is 
determined  to  challenge  young  Lee,  if  he  has  not  already 
done  so." 

"  It  takes  two  to  make  a  bargain  or  fight  a  duel.  Will 
Lee  accept  the  challenge?  "  replied  the  Professor. 

"Why,  my  dear  sir,  he  comes  from  the  land  of  the 

'code; '  of  course  he  will.    But  there  is  a  way  to  prevent 

'  it,  and  I  have  called  to  ask  you  to  be  the  bearer  of  Win- 

dom's  challenge  in  order  that  every  effort  to  prevent  the 

duel  may  be  made." 

"Nothing  else  will  persuade  me  to  have  any  connection 
with  it;  if  I  can  be  the  means  of  settling  the  trouble 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  129 

amicably,  you  may  command  my  services  in  any  capac 
ity.  What  is  your  plan  ?  " 

"To  have  a  board  of  honor  selected,  to  whom  the 
whole  matter  shall  be  referred,  with  the  agreement  of 
both  the  challenger  and  the  challenged  to  abide  by  its 
decisions." 

"  Good !  That  is  the  proper  and  the  regular  way  to  do 
it.  Windom  may  call  on  me,  but  you  must  be  my  wit 
ness  that  I  go  in  order  to  prevent  the  duel,  not  to  bring 
it  about." 

"Certainly;  I  understand  and  approve  of  your  deci 
sion.  Windom  is  acting  without  reason  in  this  mat 
ter;  we  must  try  to  restrain  him." 

Deplorable  as  is  the  custom  which  sanctions  the  code 
duello,  it  has  the  grace  of  the  virgin,  the  aroma  of  the 
flower,  the  gentleness  of  the  dove,  and  the  fierceness  of 
the  tiger.  It  caresses  in  one  breath  and  destroys  piti 
lessly  in  the  next ! 

The  code  duello  was  designed  to  prevent  fighting,  not 
to  promote  it,  and  the  orthodox  duelist  recognizes  as 
his  first  duty  the  effort  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between 
his  principal  and  his  adversary  by  all  honorable  means 
before  resorting  to  the  "  field  of  honor." 

Under  this  code,  when  the  seconds  were  men  of  judgment, 
the  difficulty  was  almost  invariably  settled  without  a  re 
sort  to  the  field.  The  original  cause  of  the  insult  which 
led  to  the  challenge  was  found,  and  the  party  in  the  wrong 
was  compelled  by  his  second  to  explain,  apologize,  or  re 
tract.  The  second  of  the  party  challenged  would  insist 
upon  the  acceptance  of  the  apology  oy  his  principal. 

As  there  are  offences  which  the  law  does  not  take 
cognizance  of,  and  human  passions  will  assert  their  right 
to  self-vindication,  it  was  thought  better  to  subject  such 
a  person  to  a  code  of  general  recognition,  in  every  step  of 
which  there  was  afforded  opportunity  for  a  settlement  of 
the  difficulty  without  bloodshed.  This  was  thought  to 
be  better  than  street  fights,  which  often  resulted  in  the 
wounding  or  killing  of  innocent  observers. 

Familiar  with  these  facts,  Carter  Lee  and  his  chosen 
"second"  in  the  prospective  duel,  Tracy  Wilmer,  were 
discussing  that  important  event  in  the  apartment  of  Lee 
at  a  prominent  hotel. 

M.  P.-9 


130  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"Lee,"  said  Wilmer, finally,  "can't this  matter  be  set 
tled?  It  seems  a  pity  to  have  to  'wing, 'perhaps  kill  one's 
friend,  suddenly  converted  into  an  enemy  under  peculiar 
circumstances.  Bullets  are  precarious  and  sometimes  go 
wrong  in  spite  of  our  efforts  to  control  them." 

"I  don't  see  how  I  can  refuse  to  meet  any  man  after 
such  a  challenge  as  that,"  said  Lee,  tossing  the  paper 
on  the  table.  "Besides,  I  Imve  already,  as  you  know, 
accepted  it;  pistols  have  been  selected,  and  it  devolves 
on  me  to  namethetimeand  place  without  needless  delay. 
I  regret  it,  but  I  can't  help  it." 

"Where  will  you  go?  Not  on  the  State  line  of  New 
York ,  surely?  Shall  we  say  Canada  ?  " 

"It  is  immaterial  to  me;  but  if  it  is  to  be  done " 

"  'Twere  best 'twere  done  quickly,"  interrupted  Wilmer. 

Lee  nodded  his  head  in  assent  and  rolled  a  cigarette  as 
he  did  so,  and  then  smoked  it  as  carelessly — as  much  at 
ease,  apparently,  as  if  he  were  dicussing  the  last  play  at 
the  theatre. 

"But  a  board  of  honor — what  say  you  to  that?  I 
really  do  not  think  the  occasion — I  mean  the  offense- 
justifies  a  duel  to  the  death.  Suppose  mutual  friends 
counsel  that  course  ?  " 

"  What  course?  "  asked  Lee,  rising  impetuously  from 
his  chair.  "It  seems  to  me  that  nothing  less  than  a 
meeting  in  the  usual  way  will  settle  this  difficulty.  Any 
other  proposition  must  come  from  th*1  challenger." 

At  this  juncture  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door  of  tho 
anteroom.  Wilmer  stepped  to  the  door  and,  opening 
it,  saw  Colonel  Adams  and  Professor  Von  Donhoff,  who 
entered  without  the  usual  salutations. 

"  We  come  as  friends,"  said  Colonel  Adams,  as  he  saw 
the  expression  upon  Carter  Lee's  face,  when  he  saw  Von 
Donhoff. 

"Be  seated,  gentlemen,"  said  Lee,  remaining  where  he 
stood.  Meanwhile  Professor  Von  Donhoff  shook  hands 
with  Wilmer,  who  remarked  to  him  that  the  preliminary 
arrangements  were  about  concluded. 

"But  I  do  not  wish  to  conclude  them  in  the  way  my 
principal  proposes,"  said  the  Professor. 

"My  dear  sir,  what  do  you  mean?  This  is  acting 
•  entirely  outside  the  code.  This  morning  you  presented  to 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  131 

me  a  peremptory  challenge  to  my  friend  and  principal, 
Mr.  Lee  ;  now  you  appear  without  even  granting  UH  the 
courtesy  of  sending  us  your  card  in  advance  of  your 
coming. " 

"Confound  the  code!"  said  the  Professor.  "I  have 
backed  down  completely,  and  will  not  go  on  the  field  to 
see  one  of  my  young  friends  murder  his  best  friend.  It 
was  only  the  day  before  this  difference  happened  that 
Charles  Windom  told  me  that  he  admired,  trusted  and  es 
teemed  Carter  Lee  more  than  any  man  living,  and  this 
thing  must  stop  !  " 

"Let  me  see  you  a  moment  privately,"  said  Wilmer. 

They  retired  from  the  room ;  but,  to  the  Professor's 
amazement,  the  peaceful,  courteous  manner  of  young 
Wilmer  had  changed  to  a  freezing  hauteur  not  to  be  trifled 
with. 

"This  is  a  direct  reflection  upon  me,  sir  !  It  is  child's 
play,  and  I  don't  propose  to  be  the  medium  for  such 
practices.  Unless  this  duel  is  carried  out  as  you  yourself 
proposed  it  should  be — you  acting  as  the  accredited  rep 
resentative  of  Mr.  Windom  and,  therefore,  assuming  the 
role  of  his  second — I  say,  unless  you  act  in  good  faith, 
ourpositions  will  be  changed  from  seconds  to  principals." 

"My  dear  sir!  you  cannot  mean  it— you  surely  do  not 
think  that  I  would  fight  a  duel ! " 

"If  you  decline,  sir,  nothing  less  than  personal  chas 
tisement  is  left  to  me,  and  I  shall  certainly  inflict  it. " 

"  Chastise  me !  Youngman,  I  was  barbarous  enough  in 
my  younger  days  to  fight  a  number  of  duels,  and  fear  is 
not  one  of  my  elements.  I'll  meet  you  when  and 
where  you  please  ! "  As  the  Professor  said  this  his  face 
was  the  picture  of  rage.  To  be  taunted  with  cowardice 
by  a  stripling  whom  he  had  taught  years  before  at  Yale, 
was  too  much  for  his  irascible  temperament,  and  he,  forget 
ting  the  peaceful  mission  upon  which  he  had  called,  was 
ready — nay,  eager — to  listen  to  that  "code"  which  he 
professed  to  despise  as  a  relic  of  barbarism.  Meanwhile, 
Colonel  Adams  had  handed  to  Carter  Lee  the  apology 
written  by  Charles  Windom  to  Amanda,  in  which  he  had 
nothing  to  say  of  the  man  whom  he  had  challenged  to 
fight  a  duel,  except  words  of  praise.  For  Amanda  had 
informed  him  that  no  offense  had  been  intended  by  Carter 


132  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

Lee,  and  had  urged  him  to  withdraw  the  words  which 
seemed  so  insulting.  This  he  had  declined  to  do,  and 
she  told  Colonel  Adams  of  the  scene  as  it  occurred,  and 
appealed  to  him  to  effect  a  reconciliation.  Professor  Von 
Donhoff  had  at  first  refused  to  deliver  Windom's  letter 
to  Lee,  but  no  other  acquaintance  of  Windom  would  act 
in  that  capacity,  and  he  declined  until  persuaded  by 
Colonel  Adams  that  by  that  means  only  could  the  duel  be 
averted. 

Amanda  did  not  know  that  a  challenge  had  been  sent 
to  Lee — indeed,  she  ha,d  but  a  vague  idea  of  what  a 
"challenge"  was;  but  her  gentle  heart  intuitively  di 
vined  the  serious  nature  of  the  difference  between  them. 
The  two  men  stood  facing  each  other  defiantly  as 
Colonel  Adams  and  Carter  Lee,  a  look  of  relief  upon  the 
faces  of  each,  entered,  for  it  was  evident  that  Carter  L»<> 
had  acquiesced  in  the  proposition  made  by  Colonel 
Adams.  They  were  astounded  at  the  unexpected  im 
pression  of  Professor  Von  Donhoff  to  Wilmer,  and  each 
looked  to  the  latter  for  an  explanation. 

"It  is  to  be  settled,  Wilmer,  as  you  suggested,  by  a 
board  of  honor,"  said  Lee. 

"Ah,  indeed!  Will  you  serve  me  in  the  same  capacity, 
Lee?" 

Lee  knew  Professor  Von  Donhoffs  temperament  better 
than  Wilmer  did,  and,  quickly  appreciating  the  situa 
tion,  said:  "Certainly;  at  any  time,  with  this  proviso, 
however,  that  Professor  Von  Donhoff  is  not  to  be  either 
principal  or  second." 

"Good  day,  gentlemen,"  said  Wilmer.  "I  will  snk 
another  friend  who  will  not  make  any  conditions." 

Professor  Von  Donhoff  bowed.  But  Carter  Lee  stepped 
between  Wilmer  and  the  door,  and,  with  a  smile,  which 
faded  into  a  look  of  earnest  entreaty,  as  he  saw  how 
aggrieved  his  friend  was,  said  :  "1  beg  of  you,  Wilmer, 
to  hear  Colonel  Adams,  and  learn  through  him  that 
nothing  was  farther  from  Professor  Von  Donhoffs  in 
tention  than  to  give  offense  to  you.  I  esteem  his  unself 
ish  character  more  than  I  thought  was  possible  ono 
week  ago.  You  have  misjudged  each  other;  and  tV 
fact  that  such  a  misunderstanding  can  so  quickly  suggest 
another  duel,  decides  me,  after  this  unfortunate  affair 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  133 

has  boon  settled,  to  abandon  its  advocacy  as  a  means  of 
settling  differences  between  gentlemen." 

Wilmer  was  at  heart  a  good  fellow,  and  very  sensible, 
withal.  Therefore,  recognizing  the  force  of  Lee's  argu 
ments,  he  apologized  to  the  gentlemen ;  but  added  that 
the  affair  was  altogether  beyond  his  comprehension, 
and  he  would  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  it.  Thus 
they  parted,  and  Lee  congratulated  himself  at  this 
bloodless  end  to  an  awkward  situation.  Meanwhile  the 
approval  of  Windom  was  yet  to  be  secured,  but  that, 
Colonel  Adams  assured  him,  was  a  foregone  conclusion. 

The  imperious  nature  of  Charles  Windom,  however, 
would  brook  no  '-interference  from  outsiders,"  as  lie 
styled  the  efforts  of  his  friends  who  composed  the 
"board  of  honor."  Though  Lee's  written  agreement 
to  abide  by  the  decision  of  said  board  was  shown  him, 
he  declined  to  make  any  concession,  and  insisted  on 
a  humiliating  apology  or  "the  satisfaction  usually 
accorded  to  a  gentleman  under  such  circumstances." 

Lee,  who  had  been  greatly  relieved  when  Colonel 
Adams  had  proposed  that  the  matter  should  thus  be 
amicably  settled,  was  amazed  and  indignant  at  the  re 
ceipt  of  Wmdom's  second  note,  which  was  borne  him  by 
another  party  who  had  consented  to  act  as  Windom's 
second. 

He  wras  naturally  singularly  free  from  malice,  and  he 
loved  the  sister  of  this  man  who  thus  forced  this  issue 
upon  him.  If  he  retreated  before  such  a  challenge,  she 
would  despise  him  as  he  would  despise  himself.  If  he 
killed  her  brother,  she  would  hate  him  and  esteem  him  as 
a  murderer. 

Fate  seemed  unkind  to  him  ;  and  thus  they  met  at  the 
famous  dueling  ground  on  the  Savannah  river,  midway 
between  the  State  lines  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina — 
these  two  devoted  friends  of  one  month  before,  facing 
each  other  with  loaded  revolvers  ready  to  shoot  each 
other  to  death !  And  the  duel  was  utterly  without  logi 
cal  excuse;  and  it  was  fought  to  the  bitter  end. 

Colonel  Adams  had  exhausted  every  resource  at  his 
command  to  prevent  the  duel,  and,  as  a  last  expedient,  he 
had  informed  Amanda  that  she  alone  could  prevent  it. 
Though  she  lost  no  time,  the  two  young  men  had  left  the 


134  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

city  before  she  could  communicate  with  them.  No  one 
knew  where  they  had  gone  except  their  seconds  and  sur 
geons,  and  with  a  heavy  heart  Colonel  Adams  returned 
to  New  Haven  and  informed  his  wife  and  daughter  that 
nothing  more  could  be  done. 

A  gentle,  sweet-tempered  girl  Amanda  had  been  all  her 
life,  and  her  chief  happiness  had  seemed  to  be  to  yield  to 
others;  but  a  day  had  transformed  her  into  a  resolute 
woman. 

With  the  thrift  usual  with  New  England  girls,  Amanda 
had  saved  a  considerable  sum  from  the  monthly  allow 
ance  which  had  been  given  to  her  for  many  years  by  her 
father,  and,  without  informing  any  one  of  her  purpose, 
she  drew  the  money  placed  to  her  credit  in  the  bank. 
Meanwhile  Colonel  Adams  returned  to  New  York,  and,  at 
her  request,  took  Amanda  with  him.  He  left  Amanda  at 
the  home  of  a  friend  who  had  often  been  their  guest  in 
New  Haven.  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that 
Amanda  sent  a  note  to  the  hotel  where  Carter  Lee 
boarded,  asking  him  to  call  upon  her  immediately.  The 
bearer  returned  with  the  announcement  that  Mr.  Lee  had 
gone  South  the  day  before.  He  had  given  her  his  address 
in  Georgia,  and,  impulsively,  she  decided  to  go  South 
also.  Thus,  leaving  her  friend  under  the  impression  that 
she  was  going  back  to  her  home  in  New  Haven,  she  left 
for  the  South  by  the  first  train,  which  went  through  to 
Georgia  without  change  of  cars,  determined  to  prevent 
the  duel  even  if  she  had  to  go  upon  the  so-called  "field 
of  honor."  Mrs.  Adams  knew  of  her  visit  to  her  New 
York  friend  and  supposed  that  she  was  still  there. 


XVII. 

Fortunately  in  the  South  a  woman  is  always  esteemed 
above  reproach  until  she  is  proven  guilty  of  a  crime 
against  good  morals  or  society,  and  slander  dare  not 
assail  a  young,  defenceless  girl. 

Amanda  comforted  herself  with  the  thought  that  her 
conduct  inthisundertakingto  makoajourney  of  hundreds 
of  miles  to  a  distant  State,  unaccompanied  by  any  one, 
and  unexpected  by  any  one,  would  be  pardoned  when  it 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  135 

was  known  that  she  acted  with  the  sole  desire  and  inten 
tion  of  preventing,  by  her  presence,  a  duel  to  the  death 
between  the  man  whom  she  thought  was  blameless  and 
his  antagonist  whom  she  knew  loved  her  more  than  any 
one  on  earth. 

Amanda  arrived  at  the  Georgia  village  near  Lee's  plan 
tation  just  as  the  sun  was  setting  over  the  forest  and  fields, 
the  very  day  when  the  encounter  took  place  a  few  miles 
distant.  She  left  the  vehicle  on  reaching  her  destination, 
and  approached  the  old  residence.  A  few  "pickanin 
nies  "  were  playing  about  the  neglected  premises,  and 
scurried  from  her  presence  like  a  startled  covey  of  par 
tridges. 

She  rang  the  door  bell  repeatedly,  but  there  was  no 
response,  and  she  was  about  to  leave  the  piazza  and  ven 
ture  to  the  nearest  servant's  house,  when,  as  she  turned, 
she  met  Bob,  hat  in  hand,  and  evidently  ready  for  those 
exaggerated  professions  which  meant  the  anticipation  of 
a  "pourboire."  But,  as  Amanda  turned  to  greet  this 
old  family  servant,  his  obsequious  smiles  and  humble 
demeanor  were  suddenly  succeeded  by  a  look  of  con 
sternation,  as  he  uttered:  "  Mandy,  Mandy,  come  to 
life!"  and  he  returned  whence  he  came  without  expla 
nation. 

Amanda  stood  irresolute,  and  looked  with  wonder  at 
this  remarkable  greeting.  Was  the  man  crazy  ? 

Her  surprise  was  relieved  by  Caroline,  the  buxom 
spouse  of  the  redoubtable  Bob. 

Carolina  was  much  younger  tha.n  Bob,  and  knew  noth 
ing  of  the  secret  history  of  this  "  Mandy,"  of  whom.  Bob 
spoke;  so,  with  a  cuff,  she  allowed  Bob  to  depart;  then, 
with  a  courtesy,  said,  respectfully :  "  Don't  mind  my  ole 
man,  Miss,  but  walk  into  de  house.  Bob  got  'ligion  last 
Sunday  and  ain't  bin  hisself  sence." 

"But  what  did  he  mean  by  calling  me  'Mandy'?" 
said  Amanda,  entering  the  parlor  after  her  sable  guide, 

"I  don't  know,  Miss;  Bob  ain't  ben  hisself  sence  Sun 
day,  and  to-day  is  Chuseday,  ma'am,  and  we  is  expect 
ing  Marse  Cyarter  back  to-night,  ma'amr" 

"  Mr.  Lee  is  not  at  home,  then?  " 

"  No,  ma'am ;  but  he's  a-gwine  to  come  sometimo 
to-day,  sartain ;  'cause  he  tole  us  so," 


136  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

"  Where  has  he  gone?  " 

"Don't  know,  ma'am;  all  I  know  is  dat  when  Marse 
Cyarter  teks  a,  notion  to  go  anywhar,  he's  a-gwine,  and 
when  he  says  he'll  be  back  on  a  day  sot,  he's  mighty 
sure  to  come." 

"  Well,  I  will  remain  here  until  he  returns,  for  I  have 
come  a  long  distance  to  see  him,"  said  Amanda,  after  a 
moment's  hesitation. 

"Sartainly,  ma'am;  jist  make  yourself  at  home, 
but " 

"But  what?"  asked  Amanda.  Caroline  was  twisting 
her  apron  in  her  finger,  and  was  evidently  embarrassed, 
yet  desirous  of  saying  more. 

"  But  what  were  you  going  to  say  ?  "  said  Amanda. 

"Jes'  dis,  ma'am — dat  you  is  powerful  young  to  be 
trav'lin'  'bout  de  country  widout  nobody  wid  you, 
ma'am." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Amanda ;  and  intuitively  she  decided 
to  make  this  kindly  looking  black  woman  her  confidant. 
"It  is  true,  my  good  woman;  but  I  feel  that  I  have  a 
right  to  call  upon  him ;  he  is  a  very  good  friend  of  mine." 

As  she  said  this  she  handed  her  a  photograph  of  Carter 
Lee,  which  he  had  given  her  two  weeks  before  this  day. 

"  Is  this  not  a  good  likeness  ?  "  she  said. 

The  woman  took  it  and  looked  from  it  to  Amanda, 
and  back  again  to  the  picture.  "Yes,  ma'am;  it  is  a 
splendid  pictur'  uv  Marse  Cyarter,"  she  said.  "But, 
Miss,  hit's  as  good  a  pictur'  uv  you !  Ef  you  would  tek 
off  dem  clothes  and  could  put  on  Marse  Cyarter 's — " 
then  she  laughed  immoderately — "but  in  course  you 
can't  do  dat,  fur  you  ain't  made  like  a  man— but  ef  you 
could  do  it,  why,  den  you'd  look — in  de  face  I  mean" 
laughing  again — "jest  like  dis  pictur'." 

Again  she  was  told  of  the  wonderful  resemblance 
between  Lee  and  herself,  and  yet  she  had  never  before 
attached  any  importance  to  it. 

Evidently  Caroline  did  not  mean  to  insult  or  offend  her, 
for  she  handed  the  photograph  back  to  her  with  a  cour 
tesy,  and  stood  with  arms  akimbo,  examining  Amanda 
again. 

"  You  looks  jist  like  her,  too,"  she  said 

"  Like  whom?  "  asked  Amanda. 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  137 

"Come  up  stairs,  and  I'll  show  you,  ma'am;  you 
mustn't  tell  Marse  Cyarter,  dough,  fur  he  aint  never  seed 
it,  an'  my  ole  man  jist  hanged  it  on  de  wall  last  Sun 
day." 

Curious  to  see  the  sequel  to  this  singular  statement, 
Amanda  followed  the  woman  until  she  was  ushered  into 
"Marse  Henry's  room,"  as  Caroline  called  it.  It  had 
once  been  the  choicest  bed-chamber  in  the  large,  old  man 
sion,  and  yet  it  was  distinctively  a  bachelor's  apart 
ment. 

"Yes,  ma'am  ;  my  ole  man  say  dis  room  is  jist  lack  it 
was,  only  dat  ar'  pictur'  warn't  in  it." 

But  already  Amanda  stood  gazing  at  the  image  of 
herself,  dressed  in  the  manner  peculiar  to  the  period  of 
the  sixties.  She  was  startled,  but  fascinated  by  it,  and 
the  more  she  studied  it,  the  more  she  saw  that  the  resem 
blance  to  herself  was  startling. 

"  Who  was  this  woman?  "  she  finally  asked  Caroline. 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Adams,"  said  a  strong  voice  at  the 
door;  "  but  1  have  followed  you  from  the  rail  way  station, 
having  recognized  you,  although  I  only  met  you  in  the 
audience  at  New  Haven  when  I  lectured  there,  on  which 
occasion  our  Mr.  Carter  Lee  was  your  escort.  I  saw  that 
you  were  alone  to-day,  and  thought  it  proper  that  I 
should  offer  you  my  services." 

Amanda  recognized  the  "Bishop"  whose  eloquence  had 
pleasantly  surprised  his  cultured  audience  in  New  Haven, 
for  Carter  Lee  had  told  her  in  the  presence  of  her  friends, 
and  in  his  presence,  that  he  had  been  a  slave  of  his 
father,  when  he  approached  them  after  his  lecture. 

"I  am  very  glad,  indeed,  to  see  you,  Bishop,  and  will 
explain  to  you  my  object  in  coming  here  alone;  but  can 
you  tell  me  who  this  is?  I  mean, did  you  know  the  lady, 
and  is  she  still  living? " 

"  No,  Miss  Adams ;  she  is  dead.  I  knew  her  well,  and  will 
tell  you  about  her  at  another  time,  but  a  graver  matter 
needs  our  attention  immediately." 

Amanda  turned  pale,  and  would  have  fallen  had  he  not 
caught  and  supported  her. 

"Is  he  hurt?  Am  1  too  late  to  prevent  this  awful  duel? 
Oh,  tell  me  that  Mr.  Lee  is  not  hurt ! " 

"  He  was  only  slightly  wounded  in  the  arm  and  left  the 


138  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

field  immediately,  going  north  by  the  train  which  passed 
an  hour  ago.  But  Mr.  Windom  is  seriously,  if  not  fa 
tally  wounded,  and  he  lies  in  the  room  below  this,  and 
needs  all  the  attention  we  can  give  him.  Will  you  not 
assist  us?  We  need  a,  lady's  skill." 

' « God  have  mercy !  "  said  Amanda.  "  My — Mr.  Windom 
wounded,  and  Mr.  Lee  a  murderer! " 

"No,  Miss,  not  a  murderer:  he  acted  very  nobly.  He 
fired  in  the  air  five  times,  and  would  have  adjusted  mat 
ters  then  had  Mr.  Windom  consented ;  but  he  demanded 
that  the  pistols  be  reloaded,  and  that  they  should  fire 
until  the  finish.  At  the  first  fire  thereafter  Mr.  Lee  was 
shot  in  the  right  arm,  but  he  transferred  his  pistol  into 
his  left  hand  and  fired,  with  fatal  effect,  I  fear,  upon  Mr. 
Windom.  This  being  the  nearest  residence,  and  at  Mr. 
Lee's  command,  he  was  brought  here,  and  the  surgeon  is 
attending  him  now." 

"I  will  go  to  him  at  once,"  said  she,  with  the  decision 
characteristic  of  such  gentle  natures  as  hers,  when  the 
time  comes  for  its  display. 

"How  can  you  explain  your  presence  here,  Miss 
Amanda?  The  surgeon  is  from  New  Haven." 

"It  does  not  matter;  it  is  my  duty,  and  I  know  I  will 
make  a  more  serviceable  nurse  than  this  inexperienced 
woman  here." 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  the  Bishop ;  forgetting 
himself  he  added:  "Your  mother  was  the  best  nurse  I 
ever  knew." 

"My  mother!" 

Regaining  his  presence  of  mind,  he  added  :  "  Yes,  Miss, 
I  knew  your  mother  when  you  were  an  infant,  and  she 
nursed  your  father  during  his  illness  with  typhoid  fever 
when  he  was  an  officer  in  the  United  States  army." 

"Oh!"  said  Amanda,  "I  don't  know  anything  about 
that;  but  I  know  that  mamma  nursed  papa  well  if  he  was 
ever  ill.  Lead  the  way,  please,  to  the  invalid's  room. 
Mr.  Windom  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  his  sister  is  my 
most  intimate  friend.  But  who  is  the  surgeon  from  New 
Haven?" 

"  His  name  is  Dr.  DuBose." 

"  Oh,  that  is  fortunate ;  he  also  is  an  especial  friend  of 
ours," 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  139 


XVIII. 

"  But,  Dr.  DuBose,  what  will  papa  and  mamma  think  of 
my  silence — what  will  the  world  Bay  when  it  is  known 
that  I  am  in  a  distant  State  unattended  by  any  one 
except  our  invalid  and  yourself,  in  the  house  of  a  young 
bachelor  who  has  nearly  killed  his  best  friend?  " 

"  The  injury  to  your  reputation  might  be  irreparable, 
my  dear  Miss  Amanda,  if  I  were  not  present  to  explain 
it.  Any  undue  excitement  in  or  about  this  house  will  re 
sult  fatally  to  Charlie  Windom.  Your  departure,  or  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Adams,  might  result  very 
seriously.  Colonel  Adams  is  very  wise  and  will  make 
somereasonable  explanation  of  your  absence,  for  neither 
he  nor  your  mother  will  doubt  that  some  good  motive 
has  caused  you  to  leave  home."  DuBose  spoke  thus, 
but  in  his  mind  he  felt  that  it  would  be  extremely  difficult 
to  satisfy  ''the  public"  upon  these  points  without  go 
ing  into  details  of  which  he  was  ignorant  himself.  Was 
Amanda  engaged  to  be  married  to  either  Lee  or  Win- 
dom?  What  Wcis  the  explanation  ?  Admitting  that  an 
engagement  did  exist,  was  such  a  journey  admissible 
under  the  circumstances?  She  had  told  him  simply  that 
her  sole  object  in  coming  South  was  to  prevent  this  duel, 
but  she  had  not  explained  how  she  had  learned  of  the 
difficulty  which  led  to  it.  Of  this,  too,  he  was  ignorant. 
At  the  last  hour  Windom  had  informed  him  that  he  was 
going  South  to  meet  a  man  in  a  duel  which  nothing 
could  avert ;  that  the  man  in  question  was  Carter  Lee, 
and  that  he  depended  upon  him  as  his  life-long  friend,  to 
accompany  him  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon.  In  an  hour 
from  the  moment  when  this  request  was  made  they  were 
en  route  to  Sand  Bar  Ferry,  and  in  three  days  thereafter 
the  catastrophe  had  happened.  Windom  still  hovered 
between  life  and  death,  the  wound  in  his  head  making 
him  delirious  most  of  the  time. 

The  young  physician  was  thus  subjected  to  an  ordeal 
that  might  have  shaken  the  constancy  of  Damon  and 
Pythias.  His  patient,  who  would  owe  his  life  to  his  skill 
and  devotion,  if  he  recovered,  was  his  life-long  friend; 
and  he,  himself  was  the  rejected  suitor  of  the  young  lady 


140  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

who  had  thus  defied  all  conventional  laws  in  order  to 
save  the  life  of  one  of  the  participants  in  this  duel. 
Which  one?  He  appreciated,  as  no  other  man  could, 
her  purity  of  character  and  loyalty  of  purpose,  and  yet 
he  wondered  if  she  could  pass  through  such  an  experience 
unscathed  by  the  tongue  of  calumny. 

"Very  well,"  resumed  Amanda;  "I  will  do  whatever 
you  advise  me  to  do,  Doctor.  1  know  you  will  shield  me 
from  harm,  and  in  the  end  it  will  all  come  right." 

It  was  with  an  effort  that  DuBose  curbed  his  desire  to 
tell  her  that  this  chance  remark  kindled  anew  his  passion 
ate  love  for  her,  and  that  he  longed  to  shield  her  from 
harm  all  his  life.  His  innate  sense  of  honor  admonished 
him  that  the  time,  place,  and  the  circumstances  surround 
ing  him  forbade  any  declaration  of  his  attachment  for 
her. 

The  groans  of  the  sufferer  in  the  next  room  caused  them 
to  return  to  his  chamber  at  this  juncture,  but  DuBose, 
after  feeling  his  pulse,  quietly  beckoned  her  away  from 
his  bedside. 

"He  will  rest  better  presently,"  he  said;  "and  perfect 
quiet  is  best." 

At  his  invitation,  she  strolled  with  him  into  the  garden 
adjoining  the  lawn,  and  soon  they  were  seated  under  the 
great  scuppernong  grape-arbor,  which,  though  consisting 
of  one  vine  only,  covered  nearly  two  acres. 

"Dr.  DuBose,  do  you  think  that  dueling  is  ever  justi 
fiable?  "  she  asked.  "  J  do  not  mean  to  criticise  our  un 
fortunate  friends  whom  I  have  neither  the  right  nor  the 
inclination  to  judge;  but  I  ask  your  opinion  as  a  Chris 
tian  and  a  gentleman." 

Just  as  she  asked  this  question,  their  attention  was 
attracted  by  a  commotion  among  numerous  red  ants 
near  their  feet.  These  little  ants  were  industriously  tug 
ging  at  a  little  morsel  of  bread,  seeking  by  their  united 
efforts  to  bear  it  to  their  storehouse. 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Amanda,  but  is  not  the  intelligence 
evinced  by  those  ants  the  best  object-lesson  in  natural 
history  ?  I  don't  think  any  treatise  I  ever  read  is  so  con 
vincing  concerning  the  advantages  of  co-operation  of  la 
bor  as  these  little  ants  have  displayed,"  said  DuBose, 
wishing  to  divert  her  mind  from  dueling, 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  141 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,"  she  answered;  "but  I  have 
never  read  such  essays,  and  I  neither  know  nor  care  to 
know  anything  about  political  economy.  That  subject 
comes  under  that  head,  doesn't  it?" 

The  Doctor  smiled  and  replied : 

"Yes,  I  believe  it  does;  and  I  really  envy  brightwomen 
their  power  to  limit  the  field  of  intellectual  effort,  as 
nearly  all  of  them  do  in  this  country.  Now,  take  astron 
omy,  that  beautiful  science,  for  instance ' 

"Yes,  that  is  a  good  illustration,"  she  replied,  inter 
rupting  him.  "After  all  the  work  of  your  so-called  sci 
entists,  who  knows  anything  a  bout  it?  Who  ca,n  prove 
that  the  sun,  or  moon,  or  the  stars  are  so  many  thou 
sands,  or  millions  of  miles  from  our  earth?  How  do 
you  account  for  the  expression:  'He  knows  no  more 
about  it  than  the  man  in  the  moon  ? ' ' 

"  Don't  you  believe  in  the  existence  of  that  individual? 
Don't  you  think  people  live  in  the  moon?  " 

"No,  I  don't;  do  you?" 

DuBose  laughed,  his  object  being  to  prevent  her  from 
discussing  the  duel,  rather  than  to  instruct  her.  But 
just  at  that  moment  a  large  black  ant  appeared  on  the 
scene  and,  seeing  a  prize  being  borne  away  by  the  little 
red  ants,  it  pounced  down  upon  them  as  the,y  formed  a 
phalanx  for  mutual  protection,  and  by  its  superior 
strength,  defeated  them  and  bore  off  the  prize  in  triumph. 

"Miss  Amanda,"  said  DuBose,  "that  is  the  answer  to 
your  first  question ;  what  do  you  think  of  it?  " 

"I  think  it  is  shameful!"  she  replied,  astonished  her 
self  at  the  indignation  which  this  struggle  between  the 
strong  and  the  weak  had  caused.  "It  was  all  that  I 
could  do  to  restrain  the  impulse  to  place  my  foot  upon 
that  big  black  tyrant  and — 

"Crush  the  life  out  of  him  ?  "  suggested  DuBose. 

"No,  I  would  not  be  so  cruel,"  she  said,  laughing; 
"but  I  would  like  to  deprive  him  of  his  infamous 
triumph." 

"And  'render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's?'" 

"What  an  absurd  comparison.  You  surely  don't 
think  that  these  insignificant  little  ants  can  feel  as  peo 
ple  do?" 


142  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"Why  not?  I  think  they  exhibit  very  human  traits, 
don't  you?" 

"And  the  black  ant  very  inhuman  traits." 

"Granted;  but  'inhuman'  means  cruel,  barbarous; 
and  people  excel  in  those  traits.  Now,  man,  in  his  supe 
rior  wisdom,  has  established  remedies  through  courts,  but 
when  the  law  is  powerless  to  repress  insupportable  griev 
ances,  human  passions  will  frequently  demand  '  an  eye 
for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,'  just  as  those  little 
ants  tried  to  do." 

"  But  they  failed,  and  the  oppressor  triumphed." 

"Exactly  so-  and  that  is  why  these  'barbarous 
Southerners,'  as  we  New  Englanders  are  in  the  habit  of 
calling  them,  resort  to  'the  code' — fight  duels.  Now, 
without  expressing  my  opinion  as  to  the  morality  of 
dueling,  I  ask  you,  if  you  were  one  of  those  little  ants, 
and  there  was  a  way  to  meet  your  oppressor  on  equal 
terms,  even  at  the  risk  of  your  life,  would  you  do  it?  " 

"  I  am  but  a  poor,  weak  woman,  but  I  must  say  that  I 
am  afraid  that  my  poor  human  nature  would  cause  me 
to  do  that  very  thing." 

"Then  you  don't  blame  people  for  fighting  duels? 
How  you  will  shock  the  folks  at  home!  "  This  with  mock 
gravity. 

"You  need  not  be  quizzing  me  in  that  manner,  and  you 
shall  not  dodge  the  issue :  Would  you  fight  a  duel?  " 

"Only  in  one  case,  Miss  Amanda :  if  I  loved  a  woman, 
I  would  fight  a  hundred  duels  to  protect  her  good  name; 
I  would  not  resent  an  insult  to  myself  in  that  way." 

There  was  a  tenderness  and  a  pathos  in  the  tones  of  his 
voice  which  shecould  not  fail  to  understand ;  and, though 
he  strove  in  vain  to  repress  the  look  of  love  which  shone 
in  his  eyes,  she  understood  it  all.  At  the  moment  she  did 
not  appreciate  fully  the  import  of  his  words,  uttered  in  a 
tone  which  love  modulated  in  spite  of  every  effort  of  his 
will  to  prevent  it;  but  long  afterwards  she  did  recall  his 
words  and  manner.  For  the  unspoken  declaration,  like 
the  unwritten  laws  which  govern  humanity,  was  pictured 
in  his  face  and  engraved  on  her  heart,  which  \\as 
sad,  indeed,  because  of  her  inability  to  alleviate  his 
trouble. 

Summoning  his  will  to  prevent  further  speech,  he  said 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  143 

to  her:  ''Let  us  go  in,  Miss  Amanda;  our  invalid  must 
need  our  presence  by  this  time." 

This  utterance  was  the  tone  of  the  strong  man,  the 
self-reliant  and  self-sacrificing  physician,  who  felt  that 
he  had  narrowly  missed  being  a  traitor  to  his  helpless 
friend  and  patient,  who  he  knew  loved  Amanda  with 
a  love  that  seemed  idolatry.  He  offered  his  hand  to  aid 
her  to  rise,  and  she  pressed  it  so  fervently  that  his  reso 
lution  to  be  true  to  Windom  was  almost  abandoned. 

He  longed  to  tell  her  how  long  he  had  loved  her,  and 
to  assure  her  that  this  love  had  only  been  strengthened 
by  time;  and  yet  he  felt  that  she  had  not  experienced 
any  change  of  feeling  toward  him  since  the  day  when 
she,  a  child  in  years  but  a  woman  in  consideration  for 
the  feelings  of  others,  had  assured  him  that  she  loved 
him  as  a  brother  should  be  loved.  It  takes  a  girl  to  be 
thus  considerately  cruel ;  men  can't  do  it. 

He  could  not  refrain  from  the  thought  that  Windom 
might  have  forfeited  her  love  by  thus  recklessly  throwing 
away  his  opportunity  to  marry  this  lovely  girl.  And, 
just  as  he  was  about  to  yield  to  this  train  of  reasoning, 
she  exclaimed : 

"What  a  noble  character  he  has;  the  utterance  in  his 
delirium  is  never  malicious  but  ever  loving  or  in  praise 
of  some  one  or  something.  I  am  so  thankful  that  I  am 
here  to  nurse  him." 

"So  am  I;  weak  as  he  is,  he  knows  of  your  presence, 
and  when  your  hand  touches  his  brow,  his  smile,  even 
with  his  eyes  closed,  shows  that  he  knows  that  the  one 
person  he  loves  most  of  all  the  world  is  with  him."  This 
expression  was  the  acme  of  self-sacrifice,  for  Amanda 
could  not  fail  to  know  of  his  former  preference  for  her. 

Amanda  blushed,  but  turned  her  head  away,  for  tears 
would  force  themselves  forward  as  this  touching  allusion 
was  made,  and  she  could  not  fail  to  see  that  Windom's 
life  now  hung  by  a  slender  thread  indeed. 

"  And  the  noblest  trait  I  think  is  his  constant  praise 
of  Lee;  he  loves  him  still,"  added  DuBose. 

"Say  no  more;  I  cannot  bear  it !"  she  replied. 

Then  she  gave  way  to  her  grief,  and,  ignoring  his  pres 
ence  or  the  many  manifestations  which  he  had  made 
previously  of  love  for  her,  she  exclaimed  finally:  -'Oh! 


144  THE  MODERN  PARIAH. 

save  him,  Doctor,  for  my  sake;  I  love  him — I  love  him 
with  all  my  heart!  " 

DuBose  was  startled  by  this  unexpected  announce 
ment,  and  Amanda  seemed  to  have  just  discovered  the 
fact  herself.  She  was  not  fickle  usually,  but  she  now  per 
ceived  that  her  very  life  seemed  interwoven  with  the 
noble  sufferer  whom  Carter  Lee  had  shot. 

Where  was  Lee?  She  knew  not,  for  nothing  had  been 
heard  from  him  since  he  left  Sand  Bar  Ferry. 

From  that  day  Amanda  seemed  transformed  to  a 
determined,  though  patient  woman,  but  restrained  in 
manner  as  she  had  never  been  before.  DuBose  pressed 
her  hand  gently  the  next  time  they  met  in  the  invalid's 
room,  and  the  appealing  glance  from  her  eyes  was  cor 
rectly  interpreted.  He  assured  her  that  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  would  not  be  abused,  and  did  not  again 
allude  to  it. 

Ah,  life!  how  full  of  contradictions  thou  art!  And 
man,  and  woman,  how  blest  thy  dual  natures!  To-day 
given  to  the  worship  of  a  human  idol,  whose  charms  of 
mind  and  heart  and  person  seem  incomparable  and  sanc 
tified  by  our  purest  love;  to-morrow  death  robs  one,  and 
the  heart,  which  yesterday  was  radiant  with  happiness, 
is  the  acme  of  desolation.  Like  a  lovely  garden  cared  for 
by  loving  and  skilled  hands,  deprived  suddenly  of  its  pro 
tector  and  nourisher,  the  weeds  of  life  supplant  the  flow 
ers,  until  ruin  stalks  where  plenty  dwelt. 

And,  as  Amanda  gazed  at  the  pallid  features  of  the 
unconscious  sufferer  who  seemed  destined  so  soon  to  die, 
such  a  desolation,  such  a  ruin  seemed  to  threaten  all  her 
future  life.  She  realized  that  her  life  was  intertwined 
with  that  life  which  seemed  fast  ebbing  away,  and  all 
thoughts  of  conventional  barriers  were  forgotten  in  the 
one  resolution  to  give  all  her  attention,  and  thoughts, 
and  love  to  the  stricken  man  who  had  sacrificed  his  life 
vainly,  madly,  perhaps,  but  none  the  less  for  love  of  her. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  this  day,  when  all  hope  of 
Windom's  recovery  seemed  lost,  that  Bishop  Hunter 
went  North  in  search  of  Lee,  to  inform  him  of  the  prob 
able  fatal  termination  of  the  wound  received  by  Windom, 
and  to  prevent  his  marriage  to  Amanda  by  all  means  in 
his  power. 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  145 

Mrs.  Windom  and  her  daughter  arrived  and  were  at 
Windom 's  bedside  that  night,  after  the  departure  of  the 
negro  bishop ;  and  from  that  day  Windom  experienced  a 
change  for  the  better.  He  seemed  to  realize  it  all,  with 
out  wearying  his  brain  as  to  the  cause  of  Amanda's 
presence.  He  thought  he  interpreted  aright  the  wistful 
tenderness  in  her  eyes,  and  his  closed  with  a  smile  of 
unspeakable  happiness  on  his  pallid  lips,  his  hand  clasped 
in  hers. 

As  soon  as  his  convalescence  was  assured,  Amanda 
decided  to  return  home  immediately.  She  sympathized 
with  DuBose  now,  and  delicacy  admonished  her  to  leave 
this  house  which  sheltered  her  two  lovers,  as  soon  as 
possible.  DuBose  acquiesced  in  the  wisdom  and  propri 
ety  of  this  step,  as  did  Mrs.  Windom,  whose  heart  was 
touched  more  deeply  than  ever  by  this  additional  evi 
dence  of  Amanda's  devotion  to  her  son.  At  such  times 
mothers  excuse  many  things  not  strictly  proper;  and 
she  smiled  as  Windom  vainly  entreated  Amanda  to 
remain. 

"  Promise  me  that  you  will  write  to  me,  ".said  Windom, 
as  he  bade  her  farewell.  "  Promise  me  that  much,  at 
least." 

"Of  course  I  will  write  to  you,  Mr.  Windom;  but  you 
must  not  expect  me  to  be  silly  enough  to — to — " 

"  What?  "  he  asked,  laughingly  ;"to  write  as  you  feel, 
my  love?  " 

She  blushed,  and  answered,  with  a  pretty  gesture :  "  Re 
member,  sir,  I  have  not  yet  given  you  the  right  to  ad 
dress  me  in  that  manner.  Indeed,"  moreseriously,  "  Mr. 
Windom,  until  papa  has  given  his  approval  of  your — 
your  request,  you  must  not  consider  me  other  than  a 
friend;  I  cannot  permit  it!"  This  last  expression  was 
decisive  in  manner  and  tone,  for  it  was  uttered  to  check 
his  attempt  to  caress  her.  To  allow  him  to  hold  her 
hand,  and  even  to  kiss  it,  when  his  life  hung  in  the 
balance,  was  one  thing,  but  to  permit  any  approach  to 
familiarity  after  he  was  on  the  sure  road  to  convales 
cence  was  quite  another  thing,  and  he  loved  her  all  the 
more  for  this  maidenly  reserve. 

"I  submit  because  I  have  to,"  he  said,  his  eyes  ex 
pressing  his  thoughts.  "Tyrants  are  proverbial  for 
M.  P.- 10 


146  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

utter  relentlessness.  But  please  don't  write  to  me  as  if  I 
were  your  mortal  enemy,  and  please  let  me  write  as  I 
feel,  if  I  cannot  say  my  sweet,  precious  darling." 

She  was  out  of  the  hall  in  a  moment,  afraid  to  trust 
herself  with  such  an  ardent  pleader,  and  soon,  bidding 
him  a  formal,  though  friendly  farewell,  she  was  driven  to 
the  railwa,y  station  by  Dr.  DuBose,  who  greeted  her 
pressure  of  the  hand  with  such  a  fervent  clasp  as  to 
cause  her  to  cry  out  with  pain. 

"Forgive  me,  Miss  Amanda;  I  would  not  hurt  you  for 
the  world,  but  you  don't  know — cannot  know  how  much 
I  will  miss  you  in  this  wilderness.  Windom  owes  his  life 
to  you,  and  I  owe  you " 

"  What?  "  said  Amanda,  as  he  hesitated. 

"A  life-long  grudge  for  giving  to  him  what  I  asked  for 
first " 

"Good-by,"  said  she,  extending  her  hand,  as  the  train 
approached;  "you  have  been  so  kind  and  good  to  me, 
and  are  very,  very  dear  to  me."  Thus  they  parted. 

She  could  not  find  it  in  her  heart  to  reproach  DuBose 
for  addressing  her  again,  and  she  felt  peculiarly  blessed. 

DuBose  loved  her;  Professor  Von  Donhoff  worshiped 
her;  and  Windom,  whom  she  loved,  had  proved  himself 
a  modern  Don  Quixote  for  very  love  of  her — What 
woman  could  have  blamed  him  ? 


XIX. 

During  the  long  journey  northward,  Amanda  had 
ample  opportunity  for  reflection.  While  en  route  she 
learned  that  she  would  reach  New  Haven  at  an  incon 
venient  hour  at  night  and  decided  to  telegraph  her 
friend,  Kitty  DeBrosses,  from  Baltimore  that  she  would 
take  the  liberty  of  staying  with  her  one  night.  Mr. 
DeBrosses  and  Colonel  Adams  had  been  intimate  friends 
for  many  years,  and  it  was  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr. 
DeBrosses  that  Amanda  had  attended  a  finishing  school 
the  previous  year  in  New  York  City. 

Her  life  as  a  school-girl  in  New  York  was  brightened 
and  made  cheerful  by  the  many  hospitable  attentions  lav 
ished  upon  her  by  Kitty  DeBrosses  and  her  father,  with 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  147 

whom  she  was  a  great  favorite.  Mr.  DeBrosses  lived 
with  his  daughter  in  a  handsome  mansion  on  the  ave 
nue,  his  wife  having  died  when  his  daughter  was  a  little 
child.  The  governess  then  was  the  privileged  house 
keeper  now,  so  that  the  young  lady  had  all  tlie  pleasure 
that  a  dt'butante,  blessed  with  wealth,  social  position, 
and  leisure  can  have. 

Mr.  DeBrosses,  though  past  his  three-score-and-ten 
years,  was  a  vigorous,  hale  old  gentleman  with  a  youth 
ful  heart  and  commanding  intellect. 

He  had  been  a  noted  lawyer,  but  was  now  president  of 

the Trust  Company ;  and  one  of  his  first  acts  upon 

assuming  this  office  was  the  appointment  of  Colonel 
John  Adams  as  one  of  the  attorneys  of  that  powerful 
corporation. 

It  was  but  natural,  therefore,  that  Amanda  should 
advise  her  friend  that  she  would  stop  over  a  day  with 
her  on  her  return  from  the  South. 

"The  South,"  in  the  minds  of  young  ladies  of  the 
Kitty  DeBrosses  type,  means  visions  of  Lenten  festivities 
at  the  Ponce  De  Leon;  regattas  on  the  waters  at  St. 
Augustine,  or  the  St.  John's  river ;  and  endless  cotillons, 
and  whist  parties,  and  tennis  games  galore.  Therefore 
Miss  Kitty  was  on  the  qui  vive  to  see  and  gossip  with 
Amanda,  and  the  result  was  that  she  persuaded  her 
father  to  accompany  her  to  the  station,  and  met 
Amanda  on  the  arrival  of  the  train. 

"  Has  she  met  any  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty?  Did 
she  meet  Mr.  McAllen  in  his  native  city,  Savannah?" 
soliloquized  the  young  lady,  as  she  crossed  on  the  ferry 
boat  to  Jersey  City.  Amanda  was  equally  anxious  to 
see  her  friend,  for  she  had  left  for  the  South  the  day  after 
she  had  received  Kitty  DeBrosses'  invitation  to  herself 
and  Mary  Windom  to  make  her  a  visit,  and  she  wished 
to  explain  why  no  reply  had  been  written. 

It  required  but  a  glance  into  Amanda's  face  to  know 
that  social  gayeties  had  not  occupied  her  during  her 
sojourn  at  the  South,  and  Miss  Kitty  was  puzzled  to 
define  the  meaning  of  Amanda's  careworn  expression 
and  abstracted  manner. 

The  old  gentleman  greeted  her  with  his  usual  hearty 
and  genuine  welcome,  while  Kitty's  embrace  was  demon- 


148  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

strative  and  effusive.  In  very  truth,  this  superlative 
manner  of  greeting  her  friends,  while  it  would  have 
seemed  perfectly  unaffected  and  natural  in  an  unconven 
tional  Southern  girl,  rather  repelled  Amanda,  whose 
manner,  tone,  and  modes  of  thought  and  action  were 
essentially  Northern. 

She  felt  that  a  genuine  delight  did  not  need  this  social 
veneering,  to  which  society's  votaries  among  women,  and 
politicians  among  men  are  generally  given.  Again,  Miss 
Kitty,  Amanda  thought,  was  a  little  too  "fast"  to  be 
entirely  congenial  to  her,  with  her  Puritan  notions, 
strengthened  by  a  natural  modesty  which  was  to  her  as 
the  aroma  is  to  the  flower.  Her  tastes  were  essentially 
refined,  while  Miss  DeBrosses'  rather  inclined  to  adopt 
the  ways  of  the  so-called  "smart  set." 

Even  in  her  sad  state  of  mind,  Amanda  smiled  as  Miss 
DeBrosses  alluded  to  the. last  swell  entertainment  as  a 
"function,"  while  they  were  rolling  along  the  asphalt 
pavement  of  the  avenue  to  her  home.  Luxury  seemed 
born  with  this  young  New  York  debutante — the  carriage, 
the  servants,  and  all  the  appointments  were  in  striking 
contrast  to  the  country  home  in  Georgia  and  the 
"buggy"  in  which  Amanda  had  been  driven  to  the  sta 
tion  by  Dr.  DuBose  two  days  before.  And  yet,  thirty 
years  previous,  the  planter  who  owned  that  old  planta 
tion  home  was  a  far  richer  and  more  influential  man 
than  his  former  classmate  at  Princeton  University,  Mr. 
DeBrosses,  now  a  multi-millionaire. 

After  tea  the  two  girls  excused  themselves,  and  were 
soon  reclining  in  their  room;  and,  once  in  this  favorite 
attitude  for  feminine  confidential  conversation,  they 
"talked  and  talked,"  Miss  DeBrosses  being  the  principal 
speaker. 

"I  declare,  Amanda,  you  are  harder  to  draw  out  than 
a  champagne  cork;  pray  tell  me  everything"  she  said. 
Amanda  smiled,  and  answered: 

"Well,  Kitty,  you  are  as  bright  and  as  effervescent  as 
champagne  and— you  look  so  happy."  With  a  silvery 
laugh,  she  replied : 

"  My  looks  are  not  deceptive,  either ;  I  am  as  happy  as 
the  day  is — short." 

"  Then  the  days  are  not  long  enough  ?  " 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  149 

"The  days  may  be,  but  the  nights  are  not;  the  hours 
slip  away  like  minutes.  I  do  believe  I  could  waltz  two 
hours  without  stopping." 

Amanda  sighed ;  it  was  evident  that  something  was  the 
matter  with  her,  and  Kitty  said  : 

"You  are  too  tired  to  talk,  Amanda,  and  I  must  leave 
you  to  your  slumbers." 

"No,  no;  don't  go;  if  it  is  so  gay  and  joyous  with  you, 
it  is  for  you  to  tell  me  everything;  for  what  I  have  to  say 
is  saddening — yes,  sad,  sad,  indeed." 

In  truth,  Kitty  DeBrosses  was  not  as  happy  as  she 
claimed  to  be,  for  she  was  greatly  annoyed  at  Lee's  long 
silence  and  inattention,  and  she  was  almost  reaching  that 
point  which  leads  to  the  resentment  of  a  woman  scorned. 
But  to  no  human  being  would  she  admit  it;  and,  least 
of  all,  to  Carter  Lee  himself.  She  would  teach  him  a  les 
son  that  he  would  heed  henceforth  when  they  met  again. 

Rapidly  these  thoughts  coursed  through  her  brain 
when  she  suddenly  perceived  that  Amanda  was  weeping, 
and  then  she  did  her  utmost  to  console  her  friend.  Was 
it  possible  that  Amanda  had  a  similar  grievance  to  tor 
ment  her?  Gradually  the  whole  story  of  the  duel,  except 
ing,  of  course,  any  allusion  to  her  attachment  to  Windom, 
was  told  by  Amanda.  Nor  had  she  mentioned  the  name 
of  Carter  Lee,  and  Kitty  DeBrosses  listened  with  that 
jicute  interest  which  such  recitals  always  enlist  in  the 
minds  of  young  ladies ;  for,  if  they  can't  fight  duels,  they 
constitute  the  casus  belli  in  nine-tenths  of  all  the  duels 
fought. 

But  when  the  story  was  almost  finished,  she  spoke  of 
Carter  Lee  as  one  of  the  principals  to  the  duel,  and  she 
wondered  at  the  agitation  displayed  by  Kitty  DeBrosses 
at  the  mention  of  his  name.  Lee  had  never  spoken  of  his 
acquaintance  with  Mr.  DeBrosses  and  his  interesting 
daughter,  and  his  New  Haven  acquaintances  supposed 
that  his  social  pleasures  in  New  York  were  limited  to 
his  friends  in  the  two  clubs  to  which  he  belonged,  the 
Manhattan,  and  that  of  the  Southern  Society. 

In  like  manner,  Amanda's  distress  surprised  her  friend, 
who  had  never  seen  her  in  tears  before;  and  it  appealed 
to  the  sympathy  of  the  generous  girl. 

Neither  she  nor  her  father  had  road  the  brief  telegraphic 


150  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

item  in  the  great  dailies  announcing,  first,  that  a  duel 
had  been  fought,  and  the  supplementary  special,  a  few 
days  later,  which  stated  that  Charles  Windoin  had  died 
from  the  wound  thus  received. 

The  history  of  the  world  in  a  day  is  compressed  in  too 
small  a  compass,  in  the  columns  of  the  daily  newspapers, 
to  admit  of  more  than  a  brief  reference  to  the  death  of 
the  world's  most  famous  men.  The  busy  man  of  affairs 
gives  but  a  glance  at  such  items,  and  calls  the  news  a, 
coup  d'oeil. 

But  insignificant  as  were  the  lives  of  two  young  men, 
like  Windom  and  Lee,  to  the  world  at  large,  they  were  of 
more  importance  to  these  two  girls  than  were  the  lives  of 
the  most  noted  men  of  present  or  past  distinction.  To 
a  true  woman,  her  lover  is  a  hero,  so  long  as  he  is  her 
lover. 

But,  if  Amanda  had  known  all  that  had  transpired 
between  Carter  Lee  and  Kitty  DeBrosses,  she  would  have 
perceived  that  the  most  heroic  ideal  is  shattered  when  a 
woman  perceives  that  her  beau  ideal  is  no  longer  her 
lover.  Even  though  she  was  ignorant  that  they  were 
acquainted  with  each  other,  she  could  not  fail  to  notice 
that  Miss  Catherine  DeBrosses  clutched  her  fingers  nerv 
ously  more  than  once  during  the  recital  of  the  events 
narrated.  And  the  climax  was  reached  when  she  ven 
tured  the  remark  that  her  whole  heart  went  forth  in 
sympathy  to  Mary  Windom,  because  of  her  love  for  Lee 
and  his  undoubted  attachment  to  her. 

The  face  of  Kitty  DeBrosses  then  suddenly  assumed  a 
look  so  hard  and  stern  that  Amanda's  distress  did  not 
keep  her  from  observing  it.  So  impressed  was  she  with 
this  strange,  hard  look  upon  that  beautiful  face,  that 
was  wont  to  be  as  radiantly  lovely  as  a  rose  in  bloom, 
and  as  free  from  care,  that  she  ceased  speaking  a 
moment,  then  said : 

-'What  is  the  matter,  Kitty?  Have  I  said  anything 
to  offend  you?" 

"No,  indeed,  Amanda;  but  I  was  just  thinking  how 
fickle  and  '  unstable  as  water '  all  men  are.  They  are  not 
worthy  the  love  of  deluded,  deceived,  foolish  women !  " 

Amanda  was  astonished  at  this  expression  of  feeling 
from  Kitty  DeBrosses,  the  proudest,  and  yet  the  most 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  151 

coquettish  girl  of  her  acquaintance.  She  had  frequently 
shocked  Amanda  by  the  freedom  of  her  criticisms  of  some 
of  her  admirers,  or  of  men  at  large.  She  frankly  avowed 
she  did  not  object  to  a  flirtation,  and  rather  liked  to  have 
gentlemen  address  her,  even  though  she  had  no  idea  of 
accepting  them,  and  felt  no  more  interest  in  them  after 
the  conquest  had  been  made.  Though  she  was  but  a  year 
older  than  Amanda,  she  already  numbered  her  admirers 
by  the  score,  and  had  rejected  a  round  dozen  of  them 
this,  her  first,  "season." 

"Could  it  be  possible  that  the  snarer  was  caught  in  her 
own  toils,  and  if  so,  by  whom?  Can  it  be  Carter  Lee?" 
thought  Amanda. 

Her  face  must  have  reflected  this  thought,  for  Miss 
DeBrosses  said : 

"You  need  not  ask  me  my  meaning,  Amanda,  for  my 
remark  did  apply  especially  to  Mr.  Carter  Lee.  The  last 
night  he  was  in  New  York  he  called  to  see  me,  and  we 
talked  at  length  of  dueling  and — and  I  did  not  think  that 
he  would  treat  me  so !-"  And  then  Kitty  DeBrosses  lost  her 
composure  utterly,  and  was  in  tears.  She  did  not 
express  any  sympathy  for  poor  Windom,  lying  on  his 
bed  a  sufferer,  perhaps,  for  life;  nor  for  Amanda,  now 
that  she  learned  that  Carter  Lee  had  fought  this  duel 
almost  immediately  after  she  had  entreated  him,  in  tones 
which  he  could  not  have  misunderstood,  never  to  become 
a  participant  in  a  duel.  Three  weeks  had  passed,  and 
he  had  neither  called  to  see  her  nor  written  a  line  to 
her.  Her  blood  boiled  withindignationwhenshe thought 
of  how  much  he  had  said  to  her — how  much  he  had 
allowed  her  to  say  to  him.  And  now  she  learned  that  he 
was  evidently  attached  to  another  girl  who  reciprocated 
that  attachment. 

No  one  who  truly  loved  her  would  have  treated  her  as 
Lee  had  done  under  such  circumstances.  And  this  suc 
cessful  rival  of  hers  she  had  invited  to  become  herguest 
because  of  her  intimacy  with  Amanda  Adams.  She 
racked  her  brain  in  vain  for  some  excuse  to  withdraw 
that  invitation.  Remembering,  finally,  that  Amanda 
was  at  that  moment  her  guest  and  wondering,  perhaps, 
at  her  agitation,  she  said  to  her : 

"Pardon me,  Amanda;  I  did  not  intend   to  criticise 


152  THE   MODERN   PARIAH.     „ 

your  friend  thus;  I  am  sorry,  however,  for  MissWindom, 
if  she  is  as  much  interested  in  him  as  your  words  would 
imply;  he  is  not  worthy  of  her." 

"I  had  no  idea  that  you  knew  Mr.  Lee,"  replied 
Amanda ;  "  and  if  I  can  think  and  speak  charitably  of  him, 
I  hope  you  will  do  so  also.  I  think  you  do  him  great 
injustice,  my  dear." 

And  then  she  told  her  friend  how  dearly  she  loved 
Windom,  and  what  a  struggle  it  had  been  for  her  not  to 
hate  Lee,  who  had  thus  stricken  the  only  man  she  could 
ever  love. 

Kitty  DeBrosses  was  relieved  by  Amanda's  agitation, 
for  nothing  was  farther  from  her  wishes  than  to  betray 
the  interest  which  she  felt  in  Carter  Lee;  and,  anxious  to 
remove  the  impression  that  she  was  still  attached  to  a 
man  who  had  thus  ignored  her  preference  for  him,  she 
said: 

"I  am  glad  that  you  feel  that  way,  Amanda.  I  have 
not  the  pleasureof  Mr.  Windom's  acquaintance,  but  I  am 
more  than  willing  to  admit  that  he  is  worthy  of  the  love 
of  the  sweetest  girl  on  earth.  As  for  myself,  I  never  ex 
pect  to  meet  a  man  whom  I  can  love  that  way — the  one 
being  who  is  indispensable  to  my  happiness  has  not  put 
in  an  appearance  yet.  Indeed,  I  am  afraid  that  my 
talents  do  not  lie  in  that  direction." 

This  was  said  in  her  natural  manner,  the  same  gay, 
half-cynical,  half-playful  raillery  for  which  she  was  noted 
among  her  intimates.  Then,  kissing  Amanda  affection 
ately,  she  said : 

"  Good  night,  my  dear;  I  hope  that  your  slumbers  will 
be  more  peaceful  than  Mr.  Lee's  ought  to  be." 

But,  for  all  that  carelessness  of  speech  and  manner,  it 
was  a  stormy  night  for  Kitty  DeBrosses,  whose  pillow 
was  dampened  by  many  bitter  tears  as  she  thought  of 
Lee,  who  seemed  to  have  forgotten  her  existence. 

As  she  and-  her  father  bade  Amanda  farewell  at  the 
railway  station  the  next  morning,  the  mask  of  gayety 
was  on  her  face,  and  no  one  who  saw  her  then  would 
have  supposed  that  Kitty  DeBrosses  had  ever  known 
a  care  or  sorrow. 


-     THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  153 


XX. 

If  Amanda  was  unchanged  in  manner  or  appearance, 
she  was  shocked  to  see  what  sad  changes  a  few  short 
weeks  had  made  in  her  parents.  Colonel  and  Mrs. 
Adams  had  never  been  more  affectionate,  and  were  most 
considerate  in  questioning  her  as  to  her  experience  in 
Georgia,  but  they  seemed  ten  years  older.  In  vain  did 
she  la,vish  upon  them  all  the  artless  affection  of  her 
ingenuous  nature,  for  she  perceived,  day  by  day,  that  on 
indefinable  change  had  come  over  these  dear  elderly 
people,  who  seemed  to  her  before  her  departure  never  to 
have  a  care,  and  now  seemed  burdened  with  an  appre 
hension  that  they  could  not  sha,ke  off. 

Gradually  Colonel  Adams  led  her  to  talk  of  the  duel, 
and  she  related  all  the  facts  with  which  the  reader  is 
familiar. 

"And  which  of  these  two  foolish  young  men  do  you  like 
most,  my  daughter?  " 

She  blushed,  then  threw  herself  into  his  arms  as  she 
had  so  often  done  when  a  child,  and  gave  way  to  her 
feelings  in  tears. 

By  this  one  token  the  old  good-fellowship  was  re 
stored,  and  Colonel  Adams  felt  that  he  would  love  and 
cherish  her  as  his  only  child  all  her  life  if  she  would  reject 
them  both. 

"Oh,  papa,  I've  been  cruel  to  Charlie  Windom;  but  I 
did  not  mean  to  be.  I  like  Mr.  Lee  ever  so  much,  but  I 
love  Charlie  Windom  with  all  my  heart." 

"  God  bless  you,  my  child !  It  is  just  as  I  have  hoped 
for  all  these  years;  I  am  so  much  relieved  to  know  that 
it  is  Windom,  and  not  Lee  that  you  prefer." 

"  But,  papa,  I  am  so — -so  sorry  for  Mr.  Lee." 

"Oh!  well,  but  men  have  to  accustom  themselves  to 
such  things;  you  can't  marry  them  both,  and  for  my 
part,  I  wish  you  would  marry  neither.  What  am  I  to 
do  when  my  pet  leaves  me  to  bless  Windom's  home?  " 

She  did  not  answer  in  words,  but  in  the  old,  old  way — 
that  gentleness  which,  when  all  else  fails,  is  at  once  a 
dependence  and  a  protection. 


154  THE   MODERN   PARIAH.    * 

"  What  shall  I  do  about  it,  papa?  " 

"Write  to  Lee  at  once — write  frankly,  and  tell  him  the 
truth  without  evasion  in  any  way.  He  is  a  manly,  noble 
young  fellow,  I  think,  and  will  understand  and  appre 
ciate  the  situation.  But  his  life  and  training  are  so  dif 
ferent  from  that  to  which  we  are  accustomed  at  the 
North,  and  plantation  life  at  the  South  is  so  changed 
from  what  it  used  to  be,  that  I  am  thankful  that  you  re 
jected  Lee.  For  that  reason,  and  for  that  reason  only, 
I  deplored  what  seemed  to  be  a  growing  partiality  for 
Lee.  Now,  go  and  tell  your  mother  the  good  news,  and 
make  her  as  happy  as  you  have  made  me." 

"But,  papa,  you  misunderstand  the  situation:  Mr. 
Lee  has  never  addressed  me,  and  I  know  that  he  is  in 
love  with  Mary  Windom.  I  know  this  to  be  true, 
though  neither  of  them  have  told  me  so  in  words." 

"  Indeed;  I  don't  understand  how  that  is  possible  after 
he  knew  you ;  but  if  it  is  true,  let  Mary  do  her  own  writing. 
If  Lee  loves  her  and  she  loves  him,  he  will  doubtless 
make  her  happy.  Yes,  that  is  an  excellent  match,  in 
every  respect;  and  I  am  glad  to  know  that  all  my 
anxiety  was  wasted.,  <  All's  well  that  ends  well.' " 

Amanda  left  him  with  a  smile,  which  soon  changed  to 
laughter,  as  she  thought  of  the  difference  in  his  point  of 
view  when  he  learned  that  it  was  Mary  Windom,  and 
not  herself,  to  whom  Carter  Lee  was  devoted." 

In  someunaccountable  way  thepress  dispatches,  printed 
on  the  morning  of  Lee'sarrival  in  New  York  from  the  scene 
of  the  duel,  pronounced  W7indom's  wound  a  mortal  one.  A 
few  days  later,  an  enterprising  reporter  on  a  New  Haven 
newspaper,  resolved  to  get  ahead  of  his  cotemporaries 
by  preparing  for  publication  a  sensational  resume  of  the 
duel  in  which  he  relied  largely  upon  his  imagination, 
concluding  with  a  sketch  of  "the  brilliant  young  gentle 
man  whoseuntimely  end  we  arecalledupon  to  chronicle." 

The  printer,  finding  this  sketch  on  the  reporter's  table 
with  other  notes  that  were  to  be  printed  the  next  day, 
inserted  this  sensational  item,  which  had  been  prepared 
in  advance  of  Windom's  anticipated  death.  Thus  the 
false  report  gained  currency,  and  Lee  read  it  with  the 
most  poignant  grief. 

He  bitterly  reproached  himself,  and  realized  too  late,  he 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  155 

thought,  that  this  oneman  whom  he  had  slain  was  worth 
more  than  the  censure  or  approval  of  the  whole 
world. 

And  yet,  even  when  on  the  dueling  ground,  he  had 
felt  no  more  malice  than  did  David  when  he  fought  Goliath. 
But  his  friend  was  dying,  and  idleness  was  torture  to 
him. 

In  order  to  gratify  that  mythical  power,  public 
opinion  at  the  South,  he  had,  he  thought,  destroyed  his 
own  happiness,  and  that  of  the  girl  he  loved,  forever.  It 
did  not  make  him  desperate,  but,  on  the  contrary,  creat 
ed  a  longing  in  his  nature  to  be  charitable,  in  speech  as 
in  net,  henceforth  to  all  mankind. 

This  was  his  state  of  mind  when  the  old  colored  bishop 
found  him  andimparted  to  him thehistory  of  Amanda's 
birth  and  life.  Thoughtherevelationthusmadeshocked 
him  beyond  measure,  he  feltthat  he  could  accomplish  no 
good  end  by  remaining,  and  he  sailed  on  the  day  ap 
pointed. 

Bishop  Hunter's  mission  was  to  prevent  the  marriage 
of  Carter  Lee  to  his  niece;  but  had  he  known  that  this  was 
not  contemplated,  he  would  have  respected  his  pledge 
to  Colonel  Adams,  and  have  remained  silent.  Helearned 
his  error  in  time  to  make  no  allusion  concerning  the 
will  in  Amanda's  favor. 

Lee's  letter  to  Mary  Windom,  written  a  week  previous 
to  his  departure,  expressed  his  attachment  to  her,  and 
yet  showed  the  heroic  stamp  of  the  man.  It  was  not  an 
swered,  because  of  her  absence  with  her  mother  at  the 
bedside  of  her  brother,  and  she  did  not  receive  it  until  her 
return  home,  several  weeks  later. 

He  now  realized  how  devotedly,  passionately  he 
loved  her;  and  after  his  letter  was  mailed  he  would  have 
given  anything  to  have  been  able  to  recall  it.  He  wrote 
a  dozen  more  and  burned  them  all.  He  felt  that  he  had 
lost  her  irretrievably ;  and  there  was  no  one  in  New  York 
to  whom  he  felt  like  confiding  his  troubles.  To  talk  of  it 
to  Miss  Kitty  DeBrosses  seemed  to  him,  in  his  then 
morbid  mental  state,  sacrilegious.  His  respect  for  the 
age  of  Mr.  DeBrosses,  who  had  passed  through  a  simi 
lar  trouble  in  his  youth,  prevented  him  from  calling  up 
on  that  venerable  friend  of  his  father.  Dr.  DuBose  had 


156  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

informed  Bishop  Hunter  that  Windom  would  probably 
die,  and  he  had  so  told  Lee. 

By  the  common  law,  when  one  of  the  parties  to  a  duel 
is  killed  the  survivor  and  the  seconds  are  guilty  of  mur 
der;  and  the  participation  in  a  duel,  either  as  principal 
or  second,  Avhen  there  is  no  fatal  result,  is  a  misdemeanor. 

The  Governor  of  Georgia  had  issued  his  requisition  ( n 
the  Governor  of  New  York  for  his  arrest,  and,  though  he 
knew  that  such  a  law  was  a  dead  letter  in  the  South,  it 
might  be  enforced  to  the  extent  of  his  being  arrested 
and  carried  back  to  Georgia.  He  interpreted  Mary 
Windom' s  silence  as  a  refusal  to  answer  his  letters,  or  to 
recognize  him  henceforth.  To  remain  quiet  under  such 
circumstances  was  torture  to  him.  "Travel — travel — 
anywhere  so  that  you  find  new  scenes,"  said  his  con 
science  to  him ;  and  thus  he  decided  to  take  a  long-antici 
pated  voyage  to  India  and  to  travel  in  the  Orient. 

"  Surely,  every  man  has  a  good  and  an  evil  angel," 
thought  Lee,  as  he  paced  the  deck  of  the  outgoing  steam 
ship.  "Two  months  ago  I  could  truly  have  said  that  in 
all  my  life  I  never  had  an  enemy,  and  life  for  me  WHS  full 
of  hope;  now  I  am  my  own  worst  enemy,  and  in  all  1he 
world  there  is  not  one  friend  to  whom  I  can  speak — in 
whom  I  can  confide — as  I  did  with  Windom." 


XXI. 

A  month  had  scarcely  passed  when  all  of  Lee's  New 
Haven  acquaintances  were  startled  by  the  report  that  the 
vessel  on  which  he  had  sailed  had  been  wrecked,  nnd 
among  the  names  of  those  that  were,  lost  was  that  of 
Carter  Lee. 

Charles  Windom 's  recovery  was  so  rapid  that  the  day 
had  been  appointed  for  his  marriage  to  Amanda,  nnd 
the  intimate  friends  of  both  families  tendered  their 
congratulations  to  theyoung  couple.  These  preparations 
were  postponed  by  the  alarmingillness  of  Mary  Windom, 
which  occurred  suddenly.  Amanda  rightly  attributed  its 
cause  to  the  newspaper  report  that  the  vessel  on  which 
Carter  Lee  had  sailed  had  been  wrecked,  and  that  he  was 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  157 

among  those  who  Avere  lost.  Charles  Windom,  now  the 
happiest  of  men  since  Amanda  had  consented  to  give  her 
happiness  in  his  keeping  for  life,  grieved  as  if  he  had  lost 
his  brother.  He  realized  now  how  unjust  had  been  his 
suspicions,  and  how  unreasonable  had  been  his  refusal  to 
avoid  a  duel,  which  he  had  forced  upon  an  unwilling  an 
tagonist,  and  that  antagonist  the  fiance  of  his  dearly 
loved  sister. 

But  another  matter  gave  Col.  Adarns  much  annoyance 
and  finally  caused  him  to  call  on  Prof.  Von  Donhoff  for 
counsel.  No  sooner  was  it  announced  that  Carter  Lee 
was  dead,  than  that  omnipresent  being,  the  poor  relation, 
appeared.  To  all  who  had  known  the  elder  Carter  Lee 
or  his  son,  it  seemed  incredible  that  this  opium-eating 
vagabond  could  be  a  relative.  But  the  fact  was  proven 
incontestably  that  he  was  the  legal  heir  to  Carter  Lee's 
property  in  case  he  had  died  intestate. 

Numerous  attorneys,  "all  honorable  men,"  offered 
their  services  to  secure  for  him  this  large  estate,  on 
condition  that  half  they  "recovered"  should  be  the  at 
torney's  fee.  He  employed  a  prominent  member  of  the 
learned  profession,  a  deacon,  by  the  way,  whose  ability 
as  a  lawyer  was  unquestioned,  and  whose  piety  was 
proverbial.  It  was  clear  that,  unless  Carter  Lee  should 
put  in  an  appearance,  this  "insignificant  human,"  as 
Bishop  Hunter  described  him,  would  inherit  all  the 
property,  including  that  which  had  been  willed  to 
Amanda.  In  this  emergency  he  went  to  New  Haven 
and  sought  an  intreview  with  Col.  Adams. 

"Let  him  have  the  plantation !  "  said  Colonel  Adams. 
"I  am  rich,  and  Amanda  is  our  only  heir.  It  is  far 
better  for  her  to  lose  that  property  than  to  divulge  the 
secret  of  her  birth.  " 

But  Bishop  Hunter  could  not  be  persuaded  that  he 
would  not  violate  the  most  sacred  of  trusts  if  this  suit 
was  not  contested,  and  the  will  of  his  oldmaster  executed. 

The  more  he  reflected  about  it  the  more  decided  he 
became,  and  to  this  conviction  was  due  the  visit  to  New 
York  in  order  to  consult  with  Mr.  DeBrosses,  to  whom 
Carter  Lee  had  given  him  a  letter  of  introduction. 

"He  is  an  old  college  friend  of  father's, "  Lee  had  told 
the  old  negro,  as  he  bade  him  farewell ;  "and  if  you  ever 


158  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

need  legal  advice  while  you  are  at  the  North,  I  know  of 
no  one  whom  you  can  consult  more  safely." 

Such  a  reference,  and  such  a  letter  to  his  father's  old 
friend,  was  natural  and  appropriate,  based  as  it  was  upon 
the  very  considerate  kindness  to  himself  by  this  early 
friend  of  his  father's. 

Thus  it  happened  that  Bishop  Hunter  related  to  Mr. 
DeBrosses  the  provisions  of  the  will  of  the  late  Carter 
Lee,  deceased,  in  favor  of  Amanda.  Events  had  followed 
so  rapidly  since  Lee's  last  visit  to  the  home  of  Mr.  De 
Brosses,  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  see  them  again 
before  the  duel  had  been  fought.  He  was  in  utter  igno 
rance  of  the  fact  that  Colonel  Adams  was  one  of  the 

attorneys  of  the Trust  Company  of  which  Mr. 

DeBrosses  was  the  president;  and  he  had  no  idea  that 
the  two  gentlemen  were  intimate  acquaintances;  cer 
tainly  neither  of  them  knew  that  the  other  was  aware  of 
his  existence. 

Mr.  DeBrosses  listened  with  increasing  interest  to  the 
old  negro  bishop's  recital,  when  he  learned  that  it  con 
cerned  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Adams,  who  was  his 
daughter's  most  intimate  friend.  The  Bishop  related 
to  him  the  causes  that  led  to  the  unusual  bequest,  but  he 
was  careiul  not  to  mention  Amanda's  name,  while  giv 
ing  all  the  material  facts.  But,  in  stating  the  objections 
made  to  probating  the  will,  he  inadvertently  mentioned 
the  name  of  Colonel  Adams  as  that  of  the  name  of  the 
gentleman  who  had  adopted  the  child  referred  to. 

In  his  earnestness  he  did  not  note  the  instantaneous 
change  of  the  expression  on  the  face  of  Mr.  DeBrosses, 
who  understood  immediately  that  he  referred  to  Amanda. 
He  was  inexpressibly  shocked,  for  he  had  encouraged  the 
intimacy  between  his  daughter  and  Amanda  Adams  as 
the  girl  whom  he  admired  and  respected  most. 

Mr.  DeBrosses  was  silent  a  few  moments,  reflecting 
upon  both  the  legal  and  the  moral  aspects  of  the  case 
thus  presented  for  his  consideration.  He  had  laughed 
the  other  day  when  the  author  of  "Plutocracy"  had 
stated  to  him  that  "  he  knew  the  history  of  will  cases  in 
New  York  ;  that  every  caveat  begins  with  the  inaudible 
and  invisible  prayer,  'Buy  me  off ; '  and  ends  usually  with 
the  public  announcement, '  Bought  off.' "  Then,  raising 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  159 

his  head  and  looking  steadily  at  the  old  negro,  whose 
simple  faith  in  the  supreme  justice  of  the  law  he  envied, 
and  whose  fidelity  to  the  trust  confided  in  him  by  his 
former  master  commanded  his  respect,  said : 

"I  advise  you  to  follow  implicitly  the  advice  given 
you  by  Colonel  Adams,  whatever  it  may  be.  He  is  a 
lawyer  of  ability,  and  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  char 
acter.  After  long  experience  as  a  lawyer,  I  have  little 
faith  in  the  administration  of  justice  regarding  wills. 
Recently  the  ex-governor  of  this  State  died  and  left 
$500,000  to  establish  a  public  library  in  this  city  for  the 
good  of  the  people.  After  litigation  for  five  years,  and 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  his  intention  is  perfectly  clear,  it 
counts  for  nothing,  because  a  technical  point  has  been 
overlooked  by  him.  I  do  not  believe,  nor  do  three  of  the 
seven  judges  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  believe,  that  this  is 
law  rightly  interpreted .  No  such  statute  was  ever  enacted 
by  the  legislature;  no  such  law  was  ever  made  by  the 
people  of  this  State.  What  the  court  by  a  bare  majority 
of  one  proclaims  to  be  the  law,  is  simply  a  judicial 
doctrine,  or  theory, built  up  by  judges.  It  is  judge-made 
law,  based  on  precedent,  not  principle.  It  embodies  not 
the  intent  of  the  legislature,  which  is  the  true  law-mak 
ing  power  in  our  form  of  government,  but  the  will  of  the 
judiciary,  which  has  no  such  power.  If  ever  a  will  was  so 
drawn  as  to  defy  the  assaults  of  contestants,  lawyers 
and  judges,  that  would  seem  to  be  one.  Yet  the  highest 
court  of  New  York  has  not  hesitated  to  decree  that  the 
wealth  thus  devised  shall  go,  not  to  the  people,  in  accord 
ance  with  his  last  will,  but  into  the  pockets  of  claimants 
and  their  attorneys,  contrary  to  his  cherished  purpose." 

He  then  dismissed  the  loyal  old  negro  with  such  kind 
ness  of  tone  and  manner,  that  it  palliated  to  some 
extent  the  disappointment  which  his  benevolent  face 
exhibited.  Thus  the  excess  of  zeal  on  the  part  of  Bishop 
Hunter  in  behalf  of  Amanda,  had  given  slander  a 
weapon  with  which  to  attack  her  whom  he  felt  it  his 
mission  to  protect. 

Without  intending  to  violate  the  confidence  reposed  in 
him,  Mr.  DeBrosses  was  too  worldly-wise  not  to  ad  vise  his 
daughter  to  avoid  further  intimacy  with  Amanda. , 

"  She  is  blameless,  my  child — it  is  not  her  fault,  but  her 


160  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

misfortune;  but,  for  reasons  that  I  cannot  now  explain, 
it  is  my  desire  that  your  intimacy  with  her  shall  cease." 

"But,  papa,  Amanda  and  Mary  Windom  are  to  be  my 
guests  soon;  I  cannot  recall  my  invitation,  if  they  find  it 
agreeable  to  visit  me." 

"That  need  not  disturb  you  in  the  least;  neither  she 
nor  Miss  Windom  will  come." 

"But  why  not?  How  do  you  know  that?  What  has 
happened  to  change  your  opinion  of  Amanda?  " 

"Many  things;  and  it  proves  how  large  the  world  is, 
and  how  unimportant  any  individual  in  it  is,  and  how 
little  women  know  about  what  is  happening,  to  learn 
that  our  young  friend,  Carter  Lee,  has  made  a  fool  of 
himself  and  shot  his  best  friend." 

Though  she  knew  the  facts  far  better  than  her  father 
did,  the  expression  of  his  face  and  the  tones  of  his  voice 
admonished  her  that  Lee  would  never  find  favor  in  his 
eyes,  and  she  sank  in  her  seat  overcome,  as  he  thought, 
by  the  news  thus  conveyed.  Supporting  her  tenderly 
the  old  gentleman  continued : 

"Yes,  Carter  Lee  and  a  young  man  named  Windom 
have  fought  a  duel,  and  Lee  shot  his  antagonist  and  is 
supposed  to  have  fled  from  the  country,  a  fugitive  from 
justice.  For  the  sake  of  his  father's  memory,  I  deeply  re 
gret  it.  It  is  said  that  Windom  was  his  best  friend,  and 
that  Lee,  who  was  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  social 
favors,  forced  the  duel  upon  him." 

"I  am  sure  that  that  statement  is  false;"  said  his 
daughter.  "  Carter  Lee  is  incapable  of  ingratitude  or  any 
thing  that  is  base !  " 

She  spoke  impulsively — "  out  of  the  abundance  of  the 
heart  the  mouth  speaketh ;"  and  her  father,  with  a  frown 
and  a  surprised  look,  silently  left  the  room.  Could  there 
be  any  understanding  between  Lee  and  his  daughter?  he 
reflected,  and  this  reflection  silenced  him  for  the  time. 

If  she  was  interested  in  Lee,  the  anger  of  "the  woman 
scorned"  overcame  it,  for  in  a  few  days  she  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  the  startling  announcement  that  made 
her,  for  the  moment,  almost  speechless  with  grief.  She 
was  one  of  those  creatures  on  whom  grief  of  any  kind 
falls  lightly ;  and  when  her  friend,  Miss  Bartlett,  informed 
her^  a  few  weeks  later,  of  the  rumors  that  had  already 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  161 

gained  currency  concerning  Amanda  as  the  possible 
cause  of  the  duel,  she  listened  with  curious  interest  to  the 
minutest  details.  Finally,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  gos 
sip  rs  story,  she  said: 

"I  envy  her!"  "Envy  whom?"  inquired  Miss 
Bartlett.  "Amanda.  To  have  a  duel  fought  about  one's 
self  by  two  such  gentlemen  as  Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Windom, 
must  be  a  triumph.  Especially  so  when  neither  of  the 
combatants  is  killed. " 

"  But  Mr.  Windom  is  seriously  hurt  and  may  die  of 
the  wound  received  in  the  duel,"  she  replied. 

"Oh,  no;  he  has  recovered,  and  is  to  be  married  to 
Amanda;  that  is  the  latest  news  I  hear." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  "rumors  in  New  Haven,"  to 
which  this  scandal-monger  had  referred,  had  been  started 
by  insinuations  made  by  the  speaker,  Miss  Bartlett,  who 
was  visiting  the  friend  in  New  York  City  with  whom 
Amanda  had  been  stopping  when  she  went  South  to  do 
all  in  her  power  to  prevent  the  duel. 

They  are  in  every  community,  these  idle  gossipers,  who 
are  the  pests  of  society;  for,  to  their  vicious  hearts, 
nothing  is  too  sacred  to  attack.  Meanwhile,  Amanda 
thought  that  Miss  Bartlett  was  one  of  her  best  friends, 
for  she  had  given  her  the  Judas  kiss  the  day  before. 


XXII. 

In  life,  as  in  war,  events  advance  in  legions,  and  thus 
it  seemed  to  Colonel  Adams,  who  suffered  acutely  as  he 
realized  how  difficult  it  was  to  conceal  the  secret  of 
Amanda's  birth.  And,  as  he  contemplated  the  happiness 
of  Windom  and  Amanda,  at  the  thought  of  their  early 
marriage,  it  oppressed  him  beyond  endurance,  and  he 
resolved  to  inform  Windom  of  the  truth  before  he  should 
be  united  to  her  in  the  irrevocable  bonds  of  marriage. 

So  urgent  did  he  deem  this  duty  that  he  forgot  the 
warning  of  Windom's  physicians,  that  any  great  excite 
ment  might  result  in  mental  aberration,  for  Windom  was 
extremely  nervous,  though  otherwise  rapidly  improving. 
Dr.  DuBose's  diagnosis  was  to  the  effect  that  a  piece  of 
M.  P.— 11 


162  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

bone  rested  on  the  brain,  the  result  of  the  wound  received 
in  the  duel,  and  that  its  removal  alone  would  insure 
Windom's  permanent  recovery.  If  it  was  allowed  to 
remain,  insanity  might  result  from  any  sudden  excite 
ment;  if  removed,  the  shock  to  his  enfeebled  system 
might  result  fatally. 

"If  I  do  not  tell  Windom,  and  he  learns  of  it  after 
marriage,  I  will  be  a  victim  to  self-reproach  all  my  life," 
thought  Colonel  Adams.  "If  he  marries  Amanda  after 
the  fact  is  known  to  him  I  shall  stand  by  him  and  his  wife 
forever." 

Acting,  then,  upon  this  laudable  impulse,  Colonel  Adams 
immediately  wrote  a  note  to  Windom,  asking  him  to 
call  to  see  him  at  his  office  at  noon  the  next  day;  and 
at  the  hour  appointed  Windom  promptly  sent  in  his 
card.  He  was  admitted  into  the  ante-room  of  the  office 
of  the  noted  lawyer,  where  several  clients  were  seated 
awaiting  until  he  could  find  time  to  grant  them  an  inter 
view.  At  last  the  office  was  vacated  by  all  except  Colonel 
Adams  and  himself.  He  had  been  quietly  awaiting  his  turn 
to  be  summoned  to  the  inner  sanctum,  and  had  been  appar 
ently  engaged  in  reading  a  newspaper.  The  lawyer  was  an 
impressive  looking  man  as  he  sat  at  his  desk,  surrounded 
by  rows  of  law  books  on  rotary  bookstands  and  shelves. 
Up  to  this  moment  his  mind  had  been  immersed  in  busi 
ness,  readily  grasping  the  salient  points  presented  for  his 
consideration;  and  he  had  kept  his  stenographer  busy 
transcribing  his  words  as  he  dictated  them.  "You  can 
leave  us  now,"  he  said  to  Ir'm,  "and  see  that  no  one 
interrupts  me,  or  is  admitted  into  the  office  until  Mr. 
AVindom  and  myself  leave  it."  The  clerk  bowed  politely, 
and  retired. 

The  face  of  Charles  Windom  at  this  moment  was  fit  for 
an  artist's  study  :  curiosity  as  to  the  meaning  of  this  in 
vitation  to  meet  Colonel  Adams  in  his  office  vied  with 
the  happy  complacency  which  brightened  his  face  as 
his  thoughts  dwelt  upon  his  early  marriage  with  the 
daughter  of  the  man  who  now  stood  before  him.  Col 
onel  Adams  found  thetask  of  telling  Windom  of  Amanda's 
history  harder  even  than  he  anticipated  that  it  would 
be  and,  before  speaking,  he  slowly  walked  up  and  down 
the  room.  Finally,  he  stopped  in  front  of  the  young 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  163 

man  and,  placing  his  hand  upon  Windom's  shoulder 
said: 

"I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  have  recovered  your 
strength,  again,  Windom ;  you  are  looking  strong  and 
well." 

"I  never  felt  better  in  my  life,  except  this  pain  in 
my  head  occasionally,  which  seems  to  pulsate  with  my 
pulse.  I  am  quite  sure  that  I  have  never  been  half  so 
happy  in  all  my  life." 

Colonel  Adams  turned  his  face  away  as  Windom 
uttered  this  remark — turned  it  away  as  a  general  would 
who  had  ordered  a  desperate  charge  on  the  fortifica 
tions  of  the  enemy  entrenched  behind  impregnable  breast 
works,  knowing  that  not  one  man  in  fifty  would  live 
through  that  storm  of  ball  and  canister.  In  a  few 
moments  he  faced  the  young  man  again,  and  saw  in  his 
upturned  face  a  serenity,  a  peaceful  happiness  which  it 
seemed  like  murder  to  destroy.  Yet  a  sense  of  duty — 
that  sense  of  duty  which  animated  the  iconoclasts  of 
old — prompted  him  to  continue : 

"  My  young  friend,"  he  said,  finally,  "can  you  imagine 
how  hard  it  is  for  a  father  who  has  such  a  daughter  as 
Amanda — whom  he  has  loved  with  a  tenderness  that 
words  cannot  express  throughout  her  life — whom  he  has 
never  had  to  reprove  once  in  all  her  pure  young  life — who 
is  as  faultless  as  it  is  given  human  nature  to  be — how 
hard  it  is  to  give  her  up  ?  " 

"But  you  need  not  fear  that.  You  should  not  look 
upon  it  in  that  light,"  replied  Windom;  '-for  neither  she 
nor  I  would  have  your  relations  changed  in  any  respect. 
I  have  no  intention  of  living  anywhere  except  in  New 
Haven.  I  could  not  be  so  selfish,  if  I  had  the  power,  as 
to  separate  Amanda  from  the  best  parents  a  girl  ever 
had.  No,  sir;  I  cannotimagine  that  picture, but  I  would 
rather  die  than  to  consent  to  give  her  up  for  any  con 
sideration  now." 

Windom  was  standing  now  face  to  face  with  the  father 
of  that  affianced  wife  whom  he  loved  as  only  such  natures 
as  his  can  love.  As  he  stood  thus,  he  was  a  noble  pic 
ture  of  self-reliance  and  physical  grace — hope,  strength, 
happiness,  stamped  every  lineament  of  his  face. 

The  temptation  to  spare  him — spare  Amanda,  his  wife, 


164  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

himself,  from  all  the  misery  that  might  follow  his  state 
ment,  almost  got  the  mastery  of  Colonel  Adams'  will ; 
but,  shaking  it  off  by  a  determined  effort,  he  said,  with  a 
husky  voice : 

"Charles,  to  no  other  man  on  earth  would  I  so  freely 
commit  Amanda's  happiness  as  to  you.  Your  union 
has,  indeed,  been  looked  forward  to  by  both  Mrs. 
Adams  and  myself  as  one  to  be  desired  by  all  the  rela 
tives  of  both  families.  1  have  observed  for  years  your 
partiality  for  her,  and  her  preference  for  your  society." 

"  Thank  you ;  you  shall  never  regret  it;  I  know  that  I 
am  the  most  fortunate  of  men,"  impulsively  exclaimed 
Windom,  interrupting  him  in  the  midst  of  his  sentence. 

"Or  the  most  miserable!  "  said  Colonel  Adams,  falling 
in  his  chair  and  resting  his  bowed  head  in  his  hands. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?  Has  anything  happened  to 
Amanda?  Explain  yourself.  Do  you  withdraw  your 
consent  at  this  late  day?  "  said  the  young  man,  bending 
over  the  chair  as  he  spoke.  Again  his  face  was  a  study 
for  a  painter. 

With  a  strong  effort  Colonel  Adams  said:  "Sit  down, 
Charles,  and  draw  your  chair  close  to  mine.  I  have  an 
important  revelation  to  make  to  you,  and  I  have  scarcely 
strength  enough  to  do  my  duty,  as  I  perceive  it." 

Then,  raising  himself  again,  the  lawyer  who,  a  few 
moments  before  had  been  the  busy  man  of  affairs  to 
one  client,  the  polite,  attentive  listener  to  another;  Ihe 
genial  welcomer  to  a  third,  now  seemed  even  harsh  in 
his  decisive  manner.  Pie  who  had  been,  a  moment  before, 
as  weak  as  a  woman  guided  only  by  affection,  was  now 
the  stern,  resolute  man,  as  he  said : 

"I  think  it  is  due  to  you,  as  well  as  to  Amanda,  to 
inform  you  that  she  is  not  our  daughter,  but  an  orphan 
whom  we  adopted  in  her  infancy." 

"I  am  astonished  to  learn  that,  but  no  adopted 
daughter,  I  think,  ever  had  stich  devoted  parents,  and 
no  parents  as  lovely  a  daughter.  While  I  wish  it  was 
otherwise,  it  does  not  affect  my  wish  to  marry  her  in  the 
least,"  replied  Windom,  with  a  touch  of  pridein  his  voice. 

"That  is  right  and  proper — right  and  proper,"  said 
Colonel  Adams.  "But,"  he  resumed,  after  a  pause,  "we 
never  knew  her  parents." 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  165 

Windom  trembled,  but  said  nothing. 

"Listen  to  me,  it'  you  can,  until  1  tell  you  how  we 
came  to  adopt  Amanda,  and  learned  to  love  her  as  our 
child.  In  the  year  1864  1  was  in  a  Confederate  hos 
pital,  in  the  city  of  Atlanta,  where  1,  a  wounded  Fed 
eral  officer,  was  borne  by  my  captors.  The  city  was 
besieged  by  our  army,  which  was  several  times  more 
numerous  than  was  the  Confederate  army  which  was  de 
fending  that  city,  and  we  knew  that  its  capture,  was  a 
question  of  a  few  weeks  or  days  only.  During  the  siege 
of  six  weeks  I  was  very  ill  with  typhoid  fever,  which  was 
aggravated,  perhaps,  by  my  wound;  the  bombardment 
daily  during  that  time  was  terrific.  There  was  a  bomb 
proof  cellar  under  thehouse,  made  partly  of  cotton  bales, 
but  the  typhoid  patients  would  have  died  there.  '  Leave 
him  where  he  is,  I  will  nurse  him  and  take  care  of  him,' 
said  a  young  woman,  whose  intonation  was  the  sweet 
est  I  have  ever  heard,  and  the  officers  yielded  to  her 
entreaties,  and  I  was  saved. 

"The  house  was  in  full  range  of  the  bombshells,  and 
one  night  the  shells  b^gan  to  fall  furiously  about  it.  She 
heeded  not  my  importunities  that  she  should  leave  the 
house,  but,  commending  herself  to  God,  endeavored  to 
comfort  me.  The  strange  peace  and  assurance  that  pos 
sessed  her,  as  she  watched  through  that  long  night  of 
terror,  I  can  never  forget.  One  shell  entered  the  piazza 
and  tore  away  a  part  of  it,  but  not  a  trace  of  fear  did 
she  exhibit,  and  no  one  in  the  house  was  hurt.  The 
partitions  in  the  house  had  been  removed,  making  a 
large  hall  of  the  several  rooms,  and,  owing  to  its  expo 
sure  to  the  shells  of  the  enemy,  all  other  patients  had 
been  removed.  My  physician  assured  me  that  it  would 
have  proved  fatal  had  they  persisted  in  removing  me  in 
my  then  critical  condition,  and,  but  for  the  efforts  of  my 
gentle  nurse,  they  would -certainly  have  done  this. 

"One  day,  while  the  shelling  was  furious,  I  fancied,  in 
my  delirium,  that  I  saw  a  shell  pass  between  my  cot  and 
the  nurse,  who  knelt  near  it ,  offering  a  prayer  for  our 
safety,  I  supposed.  She  was  not  praying,  however,  but 
was  adjusting  the  bed-clothing  so  as  to  make  me  more 
comfortable,  and,  as  I  recovered  consciousness,  I  was 
amazed  at  the  calmness  which  she  exhibited  when  speak.- 


166  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

ing  to  me  and  trying  to  comfort  me  as  much  as  she 
could.  I  begged  her  again  to  leave  me  to  my  fate,  and 
seek  a  place  of  safety  for  herself,  relating  to  her  my 
dream.  '  It  was  not  a  dream,'  she  said,  and,  going  to  a 
bed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall,  she  found  a  piece  of 
the  shell.  It  had  exploded,  gone  under  the  bed,  glanced 
up  and  buried  itself  in  a  moss  mattress.  The  leaking 
mattress  betrayed  the  hiding-place  of  the  shell." 

"  She  was  a  heroine!  "  exclaimed  AVindom,  springing  up 
and  grasping  the  hand  of  Colonel  Adams.  "Say  no 
more,  sir.  Of  course,  it  gratified  me  to  think  that  the 
girl  whom  I  love  was  the  daughter  of  one  of  our  best  New 
England  families ;  but  I  love  her  as  the  daughter  of  such 
a  mother  should  be  loved." 

"  That  is  right — that  is  right,  my  friend  !  But  sit  down 
and  hear  the  whole  story.  Finally  my  disease  reached 
the  critical  stage,  and  I  felt  much  better  than  I  had  felt 
for  a  month.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  I  could 
not  understand  the  grave  face  of  the  doctor,  and  the  sad 
anxiety  and  grief  shown  in  the  face  of  my  gentle  nurse. 
I  was  amazed  when  the  good,  kind  old  physician  said  to 
me :  'Colonel, you  are  a  brave  man,  and  have  faced  death 
on  the  battle-field  too  often  to  fear  it  now.'  'What  do 
you  mean  ?'  I  replied. 

'"I  mean  that  you  have  but  twelve  hours  to  live,  and, 
alas !  your  friends  cannot  be  summoned  to  your  bed 
side.  Be  strong,  and  nerve  yourself  for  the  inevitable, 
my  good  friend,'  said  this  gray-haired  Confederate 
surgeon,  who  had  no  malice  in  his  heart  against  a  fallen 
enemy.  He  had  visited  me  as  regularly  and  prescribed 
for  me  as  carefully  as  if  he  had  beenmyfamilyplr^sician ; 
and  this  without  the  hope  of  reward  or  fee.  His  own  son 
had  been  killed,  a  few  days  before,  in  a  charge  against  our 
lines  on  the  twenty-second  of  July;  and  his  home  in  the 
city  of  Atlanta  was  nowa  heap  of  ashes,  and  his  wife  and 
daughter  were  fugitives  somewhere  in  the  interior,  but 
where  they  were  he  did  not  know.  I  raised  myself  in  bed 
and  said  to  him :  '  It  is  the  fate  of  war ;  but,  Doctor, 
you  are  surely  mistaken ;  Ifeelbetterthanlhavefeltsince 
1  became  sick  ! '  I  noticed  the  eager,  anxious  look  of  the 
gentle  nurse,  who  had  been  kneeling  in  prayer  until  1 
spoke,  and  I  saw  that  her  sweet  face  was  bathed  in  tears— 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  167 

tears  of  grief  for  this  dying  stranger  who,  as  a  soldier, 
was  her  country's  enemy,  and  whom  she  had  nursed  so 
faithfully.  The  Doctor's  eyes  were  also  full  of  tears  as 
he  answered,  sadly:  'It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  disease; 
typhoid  patients  usually  feel  better  just  before  dissolution, 
and  —  my  —  friend  —  prepare  for  the  worst  —  for  your 
end  is  near.'  He  held  my  hand  but  turned  away  his  head 
as  he  spoke.  I  fell  back  in  bed  and  said  to  myself :  'I 
believe  a  glass  of  champagne  would  cure  me.'  The 
Doctor  turned  to  the  nurse  and  said :  '  Remain  with  him 
and  give  him  any  thing  that  he  wishes;  but  he  has  asked 
for  what  neither  this  army  nor  the  people  of  this  State 
have;  there  is  not  a  bottle  of  champagne  in  Georgia.' 

"  Then  he  left  the  room  slowly  and  sadly. 

"  But  the  girl  who  had  nursed  me  approached  me  with 
an  eager  look,  bent  down  to  my  ear  and  said:  'Be 
patient  till  I  return ;  I  think  it  \vill  cure  you,  too,  and  I 
will  try  to  get  it  for  you.'  It  seemed  an  age,  that  long 
summer  day,  before  she  returned,  and  the  bombardment 
had  never  been  so  furious.  I  resolved  in  my  heart  that  I 
would  not  take  ad  vantage  of  myparoletoget  exchanged, 
if  I  got  well  again, for  I  could  not  fight  thispeople  again, 
after  all  the  kindness  I  had  experienced  while  a  wounded 
soldier  in  their  hands.  I  had  learned  how  poor  they 
were — how  unselfishly  they  had  sacrificed  all  comforts  in 
order  to  prosecute  a  war  which  they  deemed  righteous, 
however  erroneous  their  ideas  might  be.  The  evening 
sun  never  left  a  fairer  sky  than  it  did  that  summer  eve 
which  the  surgeon  had  said  was  to  be  my  last  on  earth, 
when  my  nurse  returned.  She  had  several  bottles  of 
champagne,  some  wine-glasses  and  a  waiter — luxuries 
that  I  had  not  seen  since  I  was  made  a  prisoner.  With 
out  words  or  explanation,  she  drew  the  cork,  filled  a 
glass  to  the  brim,  held  up  my  head  with  one  hand,  and 
with  the  other  aided  me  to  drink  it.  Scarcely  had  I 
drank  it  when  I  knew  that  it  was,  indeed,  the  elixir  of 
life,  and  my  life  was  saved.  Can  you  imagine  where  she 
obtained  it?" 

Windom  shook  his  head,  not  wishing  to  interrupt  this 
narrative  which  interested  him  exceedingly. 

Colonel  Adams  leaned  forward  and  said,  in  slow, 
measured  tones: 


168  THK    MODERN    PARIAH. 

"That  heroic  young  woman  braved  the  Federal 
batteries  in  front,  the  Confederate  gunners  in  the 
rear,  and,  crossing  to  our  lines  under  this  tremen 
dous  cannonading,  obtained  the  champagne  from  a 
Federal  officer,  and,  returning  with  it,  saved  my  life." 

"Thank  God,  that  I  have  won  the  daughter  of  such  a 
mother:"  exclaimed  Windom.  "Now,  sir,  tell  me 
Amanda's  rightful  name." 

Colonel  Adams  winced  and  fell  back  in  his  chair.  So 
interested  had  he  been  in  relating  this  reminiscence,  that 
he  had  forgotten,  for  the  moment,  his  object. 

"•  We  never  knew  her  name,  or  who  s-he  was,  when  my 
wife  and  I  adopted  her  infant  the  day  after  she  died. 
Her  death  was  very  sudden,  and  she  begged  Mrs.  Adams 
to  adopt  her  child.  We  did  so,  and  a  thousand  times 
have  we  thanked  God  for  giving  us  the  loveliest  daugh 
ter  on  earth." 

" And  I  echo  the  sentiment !"  said  Windom.  "Even 
obscure  lineage  is  fully  offset  by  such  heroism  as  her 
mother  displayed." 

"  That  is  right — that  is  right — that  is  the  way  that  I 
should  feel  and  speak  were  I  in  your  place,"  said  the 
Colonel,  slowly.  "But  now,  my  friend,  nerve  yourself  for 
what  I  am  about  to  say.  I  did  not  know  the  truth 
myself  until  recently.  Amanda  believes  to  this  day  that 
she  is  our  daughter,  born  in  legitimate  wedlock.  Her 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  an  octoroon  slave,  and  she 
is  an  illegitimate  child." 


XXIII. 

To  say  that  Windom  was  shocked  by  the  information 
given  him  by  Colonel  Adams  but  feebly  expresses  the 
effect  of  the  revelation.  In  the  presence  of  Colonel  Adams, 
a  few  moments  later,  he  seemed  a  model  of  manly  self- 
reliance,  patient  under  the  crushing  blow  which  shattered 
the  idol  of  his  life,  yet  strong  enough  to  withstand  it. 
His  manliness  of  demeanor  and  the  very  gentleness  of  the 
commiseration  that  he  expressed  for  Amanda,  the  inno 
cent  cause  of  his  misery,  deceived  both  Colonel  Adams  and 
himself,  so  that  each  left  the  presence  of  the  other  with  a 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  169 

vow  unto  himself  that  she  should  be  more  tenderly  loved 
and  guarded  than  ever.  To  his  honor,  be  it  said,  Win- 
dom  realized  that  social  ostracism  would  be  the  penalty 
of  his  fidelity  to  his  pledge  to  marry  Amanda,  and  he 
chose  that  course  at  whatever  cost.  But  mental  anguish 
assailed  him  as  he  thought  of  the  lifetime  of  deception 
which  was  before  him,  for  he  had  resolved  that  she  should 
never  learn  the  secret  which  would  crush  her  beautiful 
young  life  if  revealed  to  her.  The  strain  upon  his  nerv 
ous  system  became  unendurable  and  his  temples  seemed 
to  throb  like  a  mighty  steam  engine,  his  brain  to  reel  like 
a  drunken  man,  and,  before  he  realized  it,  Charles  Win- 
dom's  mind  was  a  wreck. 

His  perfect  happiness  had  been  changed  to  despair, 
although  he  had  struggled  manfully,  but  in  vain,  against 
this  new  obstacle  to  theconsummationofthat  love  which 
had  been  the  one  great  passion  of  his  life.  Afraid  to  trust 
himself  again  in  Amanda's  presence  until  he  had  had  time 
to  fully  decide  upon  his  course  of  action,  he  had  gone  to 
New  York,  intending  to  return  to  New  Haven  in  time  for 
the  marriage  ceremony  to  be  performed  on  the  day 
appointed. 

1 5nt  the  day  came  and  passed  without  any  news  from 
him,  and  all  efforts  to  discover  where  he  was  proved 
fruitless.  Society  in  New  Haven  was  startled  by  the 
announcement  that  the  wedding  had  been  indefinitely 
postponed;  and  Colonel  Adams,  haggard  with  his  self- 
imposed  burden,  bore  his  great  grief  alone,  determined 
to  spare  his  wife  that  revelation  which  he  knewmust  soon 
be  made  known  to  them  all.  Tortured  with  anxiety,  he 
at  last  determined  to  confide  his  troubles  to  his  old  friend, 
Professor  Von  Donhoff,who  had  called  to  see  him,  bring 
ing  with  him  a  book  which,  he  said,  would  interest  him 
greatly.  But  nothing  that  he  could  say  seemed  to  inter 
est  Colonel  Adams,  and  he  was  about  to  leave,  when  the 
latter  bade  him  resume  his  seat  and,  as  rapidly  as  he 
could,  related  to  him  all  that  he  could  calmly  state.  As 
he  finished  this  recital  he  added  : 

"  This  is  terrible,  Professor ;  I  can  stand  adversity,  dis 
appointment,  or  ill-health,  but  this — this  is  terrible!" 
Colonel  Adams,  as  he  thus  spoke,  leaned  his  head  upon 
his  hands  and  seemed,  indeed,  broken-hearted.  Mrs. 


170  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

Adams,  in  her  chamber,  was  too  much  prostrated  with 
grief  to  receive  even  her  husband. 

"  But  you  have  not  explained  it  fully  to  me,"  said  the 
Professor.  "I  knowthat  Windom  acted  like  a  crazy  man 
when  he  left,  and  that  nothing  has  been  heard  from  him 
since.  I  know  that  Dr.  DuBose  thinks  it  doubtful  whether 
your  daughter  can  survive  the  shock  which  the  knowl 
edge  of  Windom's  flight  will  cause  her.  But  I  do  not 
know  the  cause  of  all  this  commotion  and  distrust. 
Rouse  up,  man!  and  tell  me,  for  I  love  'Miss  Amanda,' 
as  I  will  always  call  her,  as  if  she  were  my  own 
daughter." 

"God  bless  you  for  that !  "  said  Colonel  Adams.  "  She 
will  need  all  the  love  and  consideration  which  either  of  us 
can  give  her." 

"Has  the  brute  deserted  her?  I  never  did  like  the 
fellow!"  exclaimed  the  impulsive  Professor. 

"Don't  be  severe  with  Windom,  my  dear  old  friend; 
you  will  pity  him,  as  I  do,  when  you  know  all.  You 
will  pity  all  of  us!" 

The  Professor  started  up  at  this  unexpected  speech, 
evidently  much  moved.  "What  do  you  mean?"  he 
asked,  taking  hold  of  Colonel  Adams'  shoulder,  and 
giving  him  a  shake,  which  no  one,  under  ordinary  circum 
stances,  would  have  dared  to  do. 

Colonel  Adams,  aroused  at  last,  said  to  him:  "Be 
seated  and  I  will  give  you  all  the  facts  in  my  possession, 
for  I  need  and  request  your  counsel.  Do  you  remember 
the  first  discussion  you  ever  had  with  Dr.  DuBose  in 
this  house?" 

"Perfectly;  but  it  took  a  wide  range;  do  you  refer  to 
the  allusions  to  hypnotism?" 

"  Yes,  and  no;  I  refer  more  particularly  to  your  state 
ments,  derived,  I  believe,  from  Herbert  Spencer,  Darwin, 
Huxley  and  others,  relative  to  heredity." 

"  Oh !  that  statement  was  made  in  the  hall  of  the  Liter 
ary  Society.  Don't  you  remember  it,  and  your  subse 
quent  answer  to  my  assertions?  You  cited,  I  remember, 
the  career  of  the  great  French  author,  Alexander  Dumas, 
who  was  very  nearly  related  to  the  negro  race." 

"  Oh,  yes,  so  it  was ;  but  the  time  and  place  are  imma 
terial;  what  I  wish  to  know  is,  do  you  still  believe  in  the 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  171 

force  of  heredity  and  the  low  status  of  the  negro  race  in 
the  scale  of  civilization?  " 

"Why,  certainly;  read  the  Bible;  read  the  writings  of 
Livingstone,  DuCbaillu  and  Stanley,  or  of  any  intelli 
gent  traveler  in  Africa;  they  all  confirm  it." 

"  Nevertheless,  I  differ  with  them,"  said  Colonel  Adams, 
despondently. 

"  By  what  reasoning  can  you  differ  with  them?  What 
is  the  history  of  the  Jamaica  negro,  after  fifty  years  of 
British  emancipation?  In  despite  of  parliamentary 
appropriations  and  the  expenditure  of  millions  by  the 
churches  in  missionary  work,  he  has,  from  necessity,  at 
last  been  stripped  of  all  vestige  of  political  power.  Read 
what  the  English  historian,  Froude,  says  of  it.  Similar 
ly  the  French  convention,  at  the  suggestion  of  Robes 
pierre,  decreed  the  freedom  of  the  blacks  of  Hayti.  What 
was  the  result?  Agriculture  was  almost  abandoned  and 
commerce  destroyed.  I  do  not  believe  that  a  negro,  or 
Mongolian,  or  Malayan  was  ever  developed  from  a  white 
man;  but  1  do  believe  that  God  created  each  species  of 
men  as  they  now  exist.  As  there  are  different  climates 
for  plants  and  lower  animals,  so  there  are  for  men." 

"If  I  remember  aright,  you  stated  tha-t  there  was  a 
difference  in  the  brain  of  the  negro  as  compared  to  that 
of  the  Caucasian  ?  " 

"I  did  say  so;  comparative  anatomy  teaches  that  the 
negro  brain,  as  measured  by  Camper's  facial  angle,  is 
notably  deficient  in  the  cerebral  portion.  In  other  words, 
the  cubic  capacity  of  the  negro  cranium  is  one- tenth  less 
than  that  of  the  Caucasian." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  negro  brain  weighs  one- 
tenth  less  than  the  brain  of  the  white  man?  " 

"  Yes;  a  pure-blooded  negro  has,  by  divine  law,  a  child's 
brain  and  a  child's  intellect." 

"I  don't  think  the  experience  of  our  high  schools  for 
negro  pupils  will  support  that  view,"  said  Colonel  Adams, 
for, lam  informed,  they  have  attained  wonderful  profi 
ciency  as  Greek  and  Latin  scholars." 

"But  it  will!"  affirmed  the  Professor.  "He  may 
acquire,  as  a  white  child  can  do,  a  knowledge  not  only 
of  grammar  and  geography,  but,  with  the  help  of  agood 
verbal  memory,  he  may  acquire  by  rote  a  knowledge  of 


172  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

languages.     But  lie  never  has  developed  even  the  germ 
of  the  philosophic  faculty." 

Colonel  Adams  did  not  reply  to  this,  but  he  thought 
that  if  such  were  the  conclusions  of  a  man  who  had 
devoted  his  life  to  study  and  the  art  of  imparting  instruc 
tion,  in  spite  of  the  remarkable  progress  attained  by  the 
negroes  in  education,  there  was  more  ground  for  Bishop 
Hunter's  theory  that  the  negro  could  not  attain  his  full 
stature  as  a  man  and  citizen  in  the  United  States  than' 
he  had  at  first  beleived.  Finally,  he  said : 

"I  am  sorry  to  see  that  'Ephraim  is  wedded  to  her 
idols,'  Professor.  I  believe  tliat  circumstances,  not 
nature,  has  kept  the  negro  in  his  subordinate  condition; 
and  that  time,  and  our  free  institutions,  will  remedy  the 
evil." 

"  Let  me  read  to  you,  then,  the  opinion  of  one  of  your 
friends,  himself  one  of  the  most  lea.rned  as  he  is  one  of 
the  mosb  benevolent  men  in  this  country."  Then  the 
Professor  read  as  follows  from  "Bright  Skies  and  Dark 
Shadows:" 

'"During  the  long  lapse  of  two  hundred  and  seventy 
years,  the  negro  race  has  not  produced  a  single  great 
leader  in  the  United  States.  It  will  not  do  to  say  that 
this  is  because  they  were  kept  down.  Besides,  there  was 
no  effort  in  half  the  country  to  keep  them  down;  for 
slavery  was  abolished  in  the  North  a  century  ago,  and 
yet  the  same  inferiority  exists  in  the  North  as  in  the 
South.  Theodore  Parker,  who  endured  all  sorts  of  per 
secution  and  social  ostracism,  who  faced  mobs  and  was 
hissed  in  public  meetings  for  his  bold  championship  of  the 
negro  race,  said,  in  1857 :  "  There  are  inferior  races  which 
have  always  borne  the  same  ignoble  relation  to  the  rest 
of  men,  and  always  will.  In  two  generations  what  a 
change  there  will  be  in  the  condition  and  character  of  the 
Irish  in  New  England.  But  in  twenty  generations  the 
negroes  will  stand  just  where  they  are  now-vthat  is, 
if  they  have  not  disappeared."  That  was  spoken  more 
than  thirty  years  ago,  but  to-day  I  look  about  me  here 
in  Connecticut,  and  I  see  a  few  colored  men ;  but  what  are 
they  doing?  They  dig  potatoes,  work  in  the  fields,  and  the 
women  take  in  washing.  I  find  colored  barbers  and 
whitewashes,  shoeblacks  and  chimney-sweeps,  but  I  do 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  173 

not  know  a  single  man  who  has  grown  to  be  a  merchant 
or  a  banker ;  a  judge  or  a  lawyer ;  a  member  of  the  legis 
lature,  or  a  justice  of  the  peace.  I  must  confess  that  it 
is  discouraging  to  find  that,  with  all  these  opportunities, 
they  are  little  removed  from  where  they  were  a  hundred 
years  ago.'" 

Closing   the    book   the  Professor  said : 

"  I  recently  visited  the  superintendent  of  the  Hampton 
School  in  Virginia.  He  was  a  general  in  the  Federal  army, 
and  has  devoted  twenty  years  to  teaching  negroes,  sending 
forth  hundreds  of  young  men  as  graduates  annually  to 
teach  their  race.  His  testimony  is  as  follows : 

"  'There  is  a  great  deal  more  antagonism  between  the 
two  races  at  the  North  than  at  the  South.  J  find  much 
more  mutual  repulsion  between  the  whites  and  blacks  in 
Massachusetts  than  down  here  in  old  Virginia.' 

"I  must  say  I  agree  with  the  General.  If  a  colored 
man  were  to  apply  for  rooms  at  the  Stockbridge  House, 
would  he  be  received  ?  There  might  be  no  objection  to 
him  personally,  but  the  landlord,  though  he  is  one  of  the 
most  obliging  of  men,  would  say  that  the  admission  Of 
a  colored  man  to  the  same  rooms  and  the  same  table, 
would  give  offense  to  his  guests,  and  that,  however  he 
might  wish  to  do  it,  he  could  not. 

"  Philanthropy  here,  so  far  as  the  negro  race  is  con 
cerned,  seems  to  be  only  practiced  at  long  range.  You 
are  liberal  to  the  heathen  in  Africa,  and  to  the  Southern 
negro  a  thousand  miles  distant,  but  the  negro  in  New 
England  is  socially  an  outcast." 

"  But  do  you  believe  what  you  stated  in  one  of  our 
conversations,  that  the  traits,  and  even  the  lineaments 
of  some  remote  ancestor  may  be  reproduced  in  a  new 
born  babe?" 

"  I  do ;  but  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  Windom's  sud 
den  and  inexplicable  departure  at  the  moment  when  his 
affianced  wife  needs  his  presence  most — the  day  before 
his  marriage  to  her?  You  are  wandering,  my  dear  friend  ; 
you  need  rest  and  sleep." 

"  Patience,  Professor ;  I  need  both,  but  can  get  neither 
until  some  one  shares  my  burden  with  me.  Misery  loves 
company,  you  know.  Sit  down;  don't  go  until  I  finish." 
The  Professor  had  taken  his  hat  and  was  about  to  leave, 


174  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

thinking  that  quiet  arid  rest  were  what  Colonel  Adams 
needed  most.  At  this  appeal  he  resumed  his  seat.  Placing 
his  hand  upon  that  of  Professor  Von  Donhoff  and  look 
ing  earnestly  into  his  eyes,  Colonel  Adams  said,  in  sad 
but  distinct  tones :  "Amanda  has  a  faint  trace  of  negro 
blood  in  her  veins;  she  is  nine-tenths  white,  and  her 
mother  was  an  octoroon." 

"  What ! "  said  the  Professor ;  "  are  you  crazy  ?  " 

"  No;  but  I  fear  that  Windom  is,  poor  fellow !  " 

Neither  an  earthquake  nor  an  avalanche  could  have 
more  startled  and  shocked  Professor  Von  Donhoff  than 
this  statement.  He  knew  that  Colonel  Adams  loved 
Amanda  as  few  parents  ever  love  a  daughter. 

"Put  on  your  glasses,"  said  Colonel  Adams;  "I  have 
somethingtoshowyou."  Going  to  his  desk  he  took  there- 
form  a  picture.  "Tell  me  whose  picture  is  this?  " 

The  Professor  looked  at  it  long  and  earnestty.  "It  is 
certainty  an  excellent  likeness  of  Miss  Amanda,''  said  he; 
"  but  why  did  she  dress  i.ithe  style  which  was  in  vogue, 
let  me  see,  twenty-five  years  ago,  before  I  came  to  Amer 
ica?" 

"  It  is  the  picture  of  her  mother,  who  was  an  octoroon, 
and  was  given  to  me  last  night  by  Bishop  Hunter,  the 
colored  man  who  lectured  here  last  winter.  He  was  in 
early  life  the  slave  of  her  grandfather,"  said  Colonel 
Adams. 

"  Then — Miss  Amanda — is— not — your — daughter !  " 

"  No ;  we  adopted  her  the  week  after  she  was  born,  but 
she  has  never  been  informed  of  it,  and  believes  that  she  is 
our  child." 

"And  this  bishop,  this  eloquent  colored  man,  whom  I 
heard  pleading  for  money  with  which  to  take  out  to  the 
Congo  Free  State  a  colony  of  one  thousand  of  his  race — 
this  negro  bishop? " 

"Was  a  friend  of  her  mother,  who  was  a  slave." 

"  Good  God  !  "  said  the  Professor. 

It  was  Colonel  Adams' turn  now  to  endeavor  to  console 
this  most  constant  of  Amanda's  friends.  The  great  burly 
form  of  Professor  Von  Donhoff  seemed  paralyzed  except 
fortheconvulsivetwitchingsof  his  shaggy  eyebrows  and 
moustache.  Ho  said  not  a  word,  but  groaned  aloud  in 
mental  agony.  He  saw  the  great  gulf  which  yawned 


THE  MODERN  PARIAH.  175 

before  her,  and  the  social  ostracism  which  was  certain  to 
follow  her  wherever  she  lived  on  the  American  continent 
when  all  the  facts  were  known. 

Then,  after  a  pause,  he  added  : 

' '  This  news  overwhelms.  It  is  terrible,  and  I  am  unable 
to  advise  you.  Those  who  love  Miss  Amanda  most — I 
mean  her  life-long  associates — will  be  the  first  to  cut  her 
acquaintance,  and  the  last  to  acknowledge  her  as  an 
intimate  friend  again." 

"Yes,  that  is  what  I  fear;  and  the  pity  of  it  is  that  she 
must  soon  learn  all. " 

As  they  parted  then  each  felt  that  this  was  the  saddest 
hour  of  his  life. 


XXIV. 

That  was  a  delicate  mission,  indeed,  which  was  thus 
undertaken  by  the  negro  bishop,  and  nothing  but  a 
sense  of  duty  prevailed  upon  him  to  make  known  the 
horrible  truth  to  Amanda. 

Reclining  upon  her  bed  in  the  late  afternoon,  her  phys 
ical  weakness  causing  any  mental  effort  to  be  difficult, 
the  nurse  brought  in  Bishop  Hunter's  card.  "The 
doctor,"  said  she  to  the  fair  young  invalid,  "says  that 
you  can  receive  visitors  if  you  like,  but  1  hardly  think 
you  will  wish  to  see  this  colored  man,  even  if  he  is  a 
bishop." 

Amanda  languidly  opened  her  eyes  and  asked,  indiffer 
ently:  "What  is  the  name  of  the  man?  What  can  any 
colored  man  in  New  Haven  wish  to  say  to  me?  " 

"  I  will  dismiss  him,  Miss  Amanda.  I  think  it  strange, 
myself,  that  Dr.  DuBose  should  be  willing  that  this  col 
ored  preacher  should  be  admitted  to  see  you,  and  you 
sick  in  bed  !  " 

Amanda  raised  herself  in  bed  and  said:  "A  colored 
preacher,  did  you  say?  Give  me  his  card  again."  Then, 
as  she  saw  it,  she  smiled  for  the  first  time  since  her  sick 
ness.  "  Why,  it  is  my  old  colored  friend,  Bishop  Hunter; 
admit  him,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  see  his  honest  black  face 
again."  And  then  she  thought :  "  The  poet  Burns  is 
right,  '  A  man's  a  man  for  a'  that.' " 


176  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

The  Bishop  entered  the  room  with  composure,  bearing 
in  his  hand  a  large  package  wrapped  in  paper.  But 
when  he  saw  the  wan,  thin  features  of  this  gentle  young 
invalid,  he  realized  that  she  was  indeed  hovering  between 
this  and  the  spirit-land,  and  he  shrank  from  the  unwill 
ing  task  which  circumstances  had  forced  upon  him.  The 
smile  which  greeted  him  seemed  to  him  angelic,  and  he 
felt  the  same  awe  which  he  expected  to  feel  when  mortal 
ity  becomes  immortal.  Her  gentle  voice  greeted  him 
cordially  as  she  extended  her  hand  from  beneath  the 
coverlet.  "  Be  seated,  Bishop ;  I  am  always  glad  to  meet 
a  true  friend." 

.  "Thankyou,my  dear  young  lady.  You  are  very  good 
to  welcome  an  humble  old  negro  preacher  so  kindly.  I 
heard  of  your  sickness  while  in  New  Haven  on  business 
concerning  our  fund,  and  I  begged  permission  to  call  and 
pay  my  respects.  All  of  us  down  at  the  old  place  in 
Georgia  remember  you  very  gratefully,  and  if  they  knew 
you  had  been  ill  they  would  have  me  call  to  ask  about 
you." 

This  was  said  not  in  the  manner  of  a  preacher  calling 
to  administer  comfort  to  one  of  his  flock,  but  rather  in 
that  of  an  old  family  servant  who  had  been  indebted  for 
lifelong  favors.  It  was  a  new  experience  to  Amanda,  and 
interested  hermore,  perhaps,  than  anything  he  could  have 
said  or  done  in  her  then  feeble  condition.  The  nurse 
stood  by  fanning  her  brow.  Amanda  said  nothing  and 
closed  her  eyes  as  if  sleeping.  The  Bishop  seemed  con 
fused  by  her  silence;  the  nurse  smiled  contemptuously, 
and  seemed  to  think  that  she  had  greatly  condescended 
to  have  this  black  man  sea  ted  by  the  bedside  of  the  invalid 
whom  she  knew  to  be  the  potted  belle  of  the  city.  The 
Bishop  noted  it  all,  but  said  nothing.  In  afew  moments, 
whrch  seemed  a  month  to  him,  Amanda  opened  her  eyes 
again,  and,  looking  at  him  steadily,  said:  "Ah,  it  is 
indeed  you,  and  it  was  but  the  vision  of  a  sick  girl ;  but 
I  had  a  delicious  dream.  How  long  have  you  been  here? 
I  dreamed  that  I  went  to  heaven  —  and  —  saw  —  my  — 
mother." 

It  was  the  critical  moment,  and  he  intuitively  divined 
it,  and,  rising,  quietly  drew  the  picture  which  she  had  seen 
at  the  Georgia  plantation  home  from  its  covering  and 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  177 

held  it  before  her  astonished  eyes,  so  that  the  evening 
light  slioiie  full  upon  it. 

A  sudden  strength  seemed  given  to  this  weak  invalid 
as  she  sat  up  in  bed  and  looked  at  it  eagerly. 

"  It  is  my  dream  again.  Bishop,  you  promised  to  tell 
me  who  this  lady  was.  Who  is  she  ?  " 

"She  was  your  mother,  and  I  kneAv  her  well,"  he  said. 

She  seemed  as  if  laboring  under  the  hallucinations  of 
an  opiate — to  forget  the  past  as  she  had  lived  in  it,  and  to 
live  alone  in  an  imaginary  present.  Dr.  DuBose,  who 
stood  without  the  door,  involuntarily  remained  to 
watch  his  patient  whose  life,  though  lost  to  him  as  he 
would  have  had  it,  was  dearer  than  any  other  life — his 
patient  and  his  lost  love.  The  nurse  seemed  utterly  at  a 
loss  what  to  do  or  say,  and  obediently  left  her  bedside 
and  approached  the  Doctor,  who  had  beckoned  her  to 
come  away. 

"  Leave  her  with  me  now.  It  is  better  that  she  should 
not  see  you  until  I  call  you ;  but  do  not  go  beyond  tho 
library." 

And  then  he  approached  her  bed  from  the  side  whence 
she  could  not  see  him,  while  he  could  watch  her. 
Her  face  bore  the  varying  moods  and  expressions  of  the 
hypnotized  subject  in  the  cataleptic  stage,  and  he  saw 
that,  unconsciously  perhaps,  Bishop  Hunter's  thoughts 
were  being  interpreted  in  her  brain. 

"My — mother!  Did  you  say  my  mother?"  And  she 
reached  her  .hands  as  if  to  grasp  the  picture  and  bring 
that  face  closer  to  her  own. 

"  It  is,  indeed,  the  picture  of  your  mother,  Miss  Amanda. 
She  was  the  loveliest  girl  I  ever  knew." 

DuBose  bent  forward,  and  she  saw  him,  and  then  her 
expression  changed. 

"  Doctor,  am  I  dreaming?    Is  this  the  Bishop?  " 

"  You  are  not  dreaming,  Miss  Amanda,  and  this  is  our 
faithful  old  colored  friend,  Bishop  Hunter,"  replied 
DuBose,  himself  embarrassed  by  anxiety.  For  well  he 
knew  that  this  frail,  enfeebled  life  of  hers  now  hung  by  a 
thread,  and  he  thought  if  she  died  what  would  her  friends 
say  of  her  physician? 

"  And  why  did  you  bring  me  this  picture  of  the  strange 
lady,  Bishop?" 

M.  P.- 12 


178  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"In  order  to  fulfill  my  promise  to  you  to  tell  you  why 
she  so  resembled  yourself — who  she  was." 

"And  you  mean  that  my  mamma  is  not  my  mother, 
and  this  lady  was,"  she  asked,  clutching  his  arm  convul 
sively. 

"Yes,  Miss  Amanda,"  said  the  Bishop,  the  tears  now 
rolling  down  his  cheeks,  though  his  voice  was  still  firm. 

"  Then  who  and  what  am  I  ?  " 

"The  adopted  daughter  of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  John 
Adams ;  and  your  father  was  Mr.  Henry  Lee,  the  elder 
brother  of  Carter  Lee,  and  my  young  master." 

"And  this  lady?" 

"  Was  your  mother;  an  orphan  who  was  raised  by  my 
old  mistress." 

"And  her  maiden  name  was  what ?  " 

"Amanda." 

"Amanda  what?" 

"  She  had  no  other  name,  my  dear  Miss  Amanda.  She 
was  a  servant,  though  never  treated  as  a  slave."  This  in 
a  heart-broken  voice,  as  the  Doctor  led  the  old  negro  from 
the  room.  He  returned  in  a  few  moments  and  found  his 
patient  standing  with  bare  feet  near  the  window,  that  she 
might  see  her  mother's  picture  better,  as  the  sunset  glow 
was  fast  declining  into  twilight.  He  stood  in  the  door 
way  a  few  moments  looking  at  this  ethereal-like  creature, 
clad  in  her  robe  de  nuit  and  utterly  oblivious  to  his 
presence,  or  to  anything  except  the  flood-tide  of  thoughts 
which  bore  her  irresistibly,  as  if  this  tempest  in  the  heart 
would  never  cease.  He  approached  to  persuade  her  to 
return  to  her  bed — this  helpless  invalid  of  an  hour 
before  to  whose  feeble  life  it  had  seemed  an  effort  even 
to  raise  her  arm.  She  turned  and  saw  him,  and  he 
stood  irresolute,  as  if  he  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
The  physician  was  helpless;  the  patient  seemed  self- 
reliant. 

"Doctor,  do  you  believe  this  story?  Is  this  picture 
that  of  my  real  mother?  " 

"It  is  wonderfully  like  yourself,  Miss  Amanda."  He 
hesitated,  for,  as  she  grasped  his  arm  and  looked  into  his 
eyes,  he  saw,  instead  of  tears,  that  stony  gaze  which 
freezes  tears,  and  often  portends  insanity. 

"Come,  let  me  put  you  to  bed,  Miss  Amanda;  remem- 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  179 

ber  you  are  my  patient,  and  I  am  responsible  for  your 
recovery." 

Still  she  seemed  unaware  of  her  condition — that  she 
was  but  half  clad— en  deshabille.  Her  whole  mind  was 
concentrated  upon  the  one  thought  of  unraveling  this 
mystery,  which,  if  true,  would  shroud  her  young  life  in 
misery. 

"  But  tell  me,  do  you  believe  it?  " 

The  strong,  compassionate  man  grew  weak,  his 
knees  trembled,  as  did  his  voice,  as  he  said  almost 
inaudibly : 

"  Yes;  we  cannot  doubt  what  Bishop  Hunter  has  said." 

"Then  mamma  and  papa  know  this — and — oh!  God 
have  pity  on  me!  Do  they  believe — this  ? " 

DuBose  bowed  his  head,  partly  in  assent,  partly  in 
speechless  grief.  He  was  suddenly  aroused,  as  shesaidto 
him  in  her  natural  tone :  "  Pardon  me,  Doctor — my  good 
friend — you  can  do  nothing  more  for  me  now.  I  will  get 
well,  and  all  this  awful  mystery  I  shall  fathom  to  the 
bitter  end.  I  have  prayed  that  I  might  die,  but  it  is  not 
to  be.  Good-bye,  my  dear  friend." 

He  looked  up  and  saw  that  this  was  a  farewell  forever. 
Unconsciously  he  knelt  by  her  side,  took  her  unresisting, 
emaciated  hand  in  his  and  bore  it  to  his  lips. 

"  Miss  Amanda,  so  long  as  I  live  I  shall  love  you,  and 
I  beg  that  you  will  always  command  me.  My  greatest 
happiness  will  be  to  aid  you  to  bear  your  innocent  bur 
den." 

With  the  other  hand  laid  gently  upon  his  head,  she 
said:  "I  know  it,  Doctor;  I  know  that,  next  to  papa 
and  mamma,  and — "  she  hesitated,  for  the  thought  of 
Windom's  unexplained  absence  occurred  to  them  both  at 
that  moment,  and  brought  him  to  his  feet  and  her  to  the 
consciousness  of  the  garb  in  which  she  was  arrayed.  She 
placed  her  hands  before  her  eyes,  tottered,  and  would 
have  fallen  had  he  not,  assisted  by  the  nurse,  who  entered 
at  that  moment,  placed  her  in  bed  just  as  she  swooned 
into  unconsciousness. 

"Go  for  Mrs.  Adams  immediately !"  he  said  to  the 
nurse. 

And  mother  and  daughter  were  thus  brought  together 
again,  and  all  the  awful  revelation  was  made  by  the 


180  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

gentlest  of  all  ministering  angels,  a  mother's  tender  love 
for  this  child  of  her  heart,  although  an  adopted  child. 

Unfortunates  wh  o  choose  to  lose  their  identity  naturally 
seek  the  crowded  city,  but  unfortunates  like  Amanda, 
whose  innocent  life  of  happiness  was  as  free  from  censure 
as  the  sunbeam,  seek  obscurity. 

But  where  could  she  go,  and  what  could  she  do  ?  The 
public  only  knew  that  the  invitations  to  the  wedding  had 
been  recalled,  but  gossip  is  a  heartless  detective  which 
does  not  spare  the  innocent.  Shefelt  crushed,  humiliated, 
unto  the  depths  of  her  heart. 

"  No  legitimate  name,  and  the  one  offered  me,  and  which 
I  had  learned  to  cherish,  withdrawn  because  of — my — 
misfortune !  "  She  wept  bitterly  as  she  spoke  thus  in  the 
privacy  of  her  chamber. 

It  was  one  of  those  griefs  which  cannot  be  shared ;  for, 
though  Mrs.  Adams  was  as  tenderly  affectionate  as  the 
most  loving  mother  could  be  to  this  child  of  her  heart, 
she  could  not  fail  to  see  that  the  blow  had  struck  home 
there  also. 

In  thus  assuring  Amanda  of  his  undying  love  for  her 
at  a  time  when  all  the  world  seemed  forsaking  her,  Dr. 
DuBose  was  sincere.  He  felt  that  he  loved  her  more  than 
he  would  everlove  another,  but  the  sentiment  which  domi 
nated  him  was  pity  rather  than  love.  It  was  the  spirit 
of  love  without  its  essence;  for  the  love  that  would 
gather  to  its  arms  the  precious  one,  "for  good  or  for  ill, 
for  better  or  for  worse,"  for  life  unto  death,  is  totally 
apart  from  pity.  Pride  is  its  sentient  characteristic — the 
pride  that  would  treasure  her  society  above  that  of  all 
other  women — that  would  kindle  with  renewed  ardor 
because  of  the  admiration  and  respect  given  to  the  loved 
one.  With  DuBose  it  was  the  metempsychosis  of  senti 
ment;  he  would  havedied  in  her  defense,  and,  when  in  her 
presence,  he  was  conscious  that  he  loved  her  ardently, 
passionately.  When  with  her,  he  longed  to  take  her  to 
his  heart,  caress  and  comfort  her  in  this,  her  hour  of 
grievous,  bitter  trial.  He  would  take  her  to  his  arms  as 
he  would  a  stricken  child,  whose  very  weakness  touched 
the  tendrils  of  his  heart.  But,  after  this  scene,  when  in 
the  privacy  of  his  own  chamber,  he  asked  himself:  "  Would 
I  marry  her,  if  I  could?"  And  he  was  shocked  at  the 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  181 

reply  which  his  inner  consciousness  made  to  him  :  "  No,  I 
would  not,  except  to  save  her  honor  or  life." 

Such  a  conclusion  was  not  heroic ;  indeed,  he  felt  that 
it  was  inexcusable;  and  this  feeling  did  not  change  his 
hope  that  circumstances  would  drift  their  lives  apart. 
In  spite  of  his  memorable  debate  with  Professor  Von 
Donhoff,  in  which  he  had  taken  the  contrary  position, 
his  reason,  fortified  by  research  and  study,  had  con 
vinced  him  that  heredity  could  not  be  off  set  by  the  hum  an 
will ;  that  prejudice  was  coeval  with  humanity ;  and  that 
the  negro  race  was  the  only  race  among  the  children,  of 
men  that  was  doomed  as  stated  in  holy  writ,  to  be  "  serv 
ants  of  servants." 

In  vain  did  he  seek  to  console  himself  with  the  reflec 
tion  that  it  was  for  her  sake  that  he  would  never  again 
offer  her  his  hand  in  marriage;  mature  analysis  con 
vinced  him  that  it  was  common  sense — his  own  interests 
and  his  own  happiness  solely;  and  he  felt  insignificant 
and  mean  as  this  thought  oppressed  him.  He  had  been 
heroic  in  his  self-sacrifice,  not  so  much  for  the  sake  of 
Windom's  happiness  as  for  that  of  the  woman  whom  he 
loved  and  who  had  told  him  of  her  love  for  another. 
Had  he  been  a  romantic  or  sentimental  character,  he 
might  have  found  some  pretext  to  provoke  a  difficulty 
with  his  successful  rival,  and  thus  have  driven  him  from 
the  field.  But  he  prided  himself  upon  being  "practical" — 
an  earnest,  diligent,  and  successful  physician,  absorbed 
in  that  profession  which  he  claimed  was  the  noblest  one 
on  earth.  His  dream  had  been  to  associate  the  beauti 
ful  patrician  heiress  with  all  his  future  success,  and  to 
strive  to  instill  in  her  heart  that  pride  in  his  success  which 
would  serve  as  an  elixir  to  his  ambition.  He  had  been 
deeply  wounded  to  discover  that  all  her  efforts  were 
directed  toward  making  him  too  good  a  friend  to  spoil 
their  happy  intercourse  by  becoming  her  lover. 

Surely,  now,  he  might  win  her;  sympathy  engenders 
sympathy,  and  by  that  chain  he  might  bind  her  heart  to 
his.  And  he  could  do  so  now  without  self-reproach,  for 
Windom  was  mentally  debarred,  and  might  continue  so 
to  be  during  his  natural  life.  He  knew  her  nature  too 
well  to  think  that  she  would  continue  to  live  with  her 
foster  parents  in  New  Haven.  It  would  be  a  mercy  to 


182  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

her  to  claim  her  hand  and  heart  as  soon  as  grief  had  done 
its  worst — when  the  reaction  from  grief  to  despair  had 
come  and  gone.  But  to  marry  Amanda — the  daughter  of 
a  nameless  octoroon  slave — was  quite  a  different  matter, 
and  he  hesitated.  He  tried  to  console  himself  with  the 
thought  that  this  hesitation  was  due  to  his  desire  to  be 
just  to  Windom.  Really  it  was  his  knowledge  of  the 
slight  negro  taint  in  Amanda's  blood  which  decided  this 
young  gentleman,  who  had  prided  himself  upon  his 
broad-minded  freedom  from  prejudice,  to  assume  hence 
forth  the  character  of  the  disinterested  friend  of  Amanda. 

Four  months  previous,  nothing  would  have  so  con 
tributed  to  her  happiness  as  the  knowledge  that  DuBose 
could  be  her  friend  without  fear  of  his  becoming  her  lover. 
She  could  have  loved  him  as  a  brother,  for  all  her  life 
she  had  lamented  that  she  did  not  have  a  brother. 

Fate  was  kind  to  her  now  in  that  no  opportunity  of 
learning  of  the  sudden  change  in  the  nature  of  his  feelings 
toward  her  was  afforded  her.  A  few  short  weeks  before 
she  had  been  the  most  envied  of  the  maidens  of  New 
Haven — an  acknowledged  belle,  who  was  courted  and 
caressed  as  the  favored  child  of  birth  and  fortune.  Now, 
there  would  be  "none  so  poor  as  to  do  her  reverence;" 
and  she  had  but  to  analyze  her  own  feelings,  if  her  situa 
tion  was  reversed  and  one  of  her  own ' '  set ' '  was  discovered 
to  be  an  impostor — innocent,  but,  nevertheless  an  impos 
tor — to  know  that  she,  with  all  her  gentleness,  would 
gradually  have  receded  from  the  former  intimacy.  She 
realized  that  it  was  the  fiat  of  civilization — the  brutum 
fiilmen  upon  which  society  depends  for  existence — the 
brutal  decree  which  demands  that  social  ostracism  must 
be  the  penalty  for  miscegenation — that  moral  degradation 
which  will  socially  make  pariahs  even  unto  the  tenth 
generation. 

It  was  fortunate  for  Amanda  that  Mary  Windom 
demanded  her  care  at  this  juncture,  for  no  one  else  could 
give  her  consolation.  By  no  one  else  was  Mary  Windoin's 
illness  attributed  to  the  report  that  Carter  Lee  had  been 
drowned  while  en  route  to  India,  and  her  tender  devotion 
alone  lessened  the  agony  of  the  gentle  sufferer. 

This  sudden  breaking  off  of  the  most  brilliant  nuptials 
of  the  year  caused  the  surprise  to  be  manifested  at  first 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  183 

with  becoming  consideration  and  sympathy  for  the  rich 
and  accomplished  belle.  Flowers  and  many  friendly 
notes  and  inquiries  daily  greeted  Amanda,  who  was 
prostrated  with  grief  and  mortification.  She  was  entirely 
ignorant  of  any  cause  for  Windom's  strange  and,  seem 
ingly,  treacherous  desertion,  and  her  chief  comfort  during 
this  trying  ordeal  was  the  devoted  attention  'of  Mary 
Windom.  Society  is  fickle  and  callous,  and  soon  its 
votaries  talked  of  her  misfortune  with  eyes  askance  and 
Gallic  shrugs. 

Rumors  had  been  spread  by  idle  gossip,  and  these  were 
pronounced  probably  true  by  many;  for,  "why,"  they 
asked,  "should  Charles  Windom,  a  man  blessed  with 
wealth,  physical  health,  and  the  love  of  the  reigning  belle 
of  the  city,  flee  from  the  celebration  of  those  nuptials 
which  would  unite  them  forever  —  a  consummation  so 
long  hoped  for  by  him,  and  so  commended  by  all  of  his 
friends?" 

Thus  gossip  weaved  its  detective  web  to  entrap  this 
pure-hearted  girl ;  and  some  of  the  friends  whom  she  visit 
ed  in  order  to  express  her  thanks  for  the  many  evidences  of 
appreciation  accorded  to  her  during  her  illness,  found  it 
convenient  to  be  "out"  when  she  called. 

"To  the  pure,  all  things  are  pure;  "  and  Amanda  did 
not  yet  fear  that  any  of  her  acquaintances  would  believe 
any  report  derogatory  to  her  character  or  conduct. 

But  she  could  not  fail  to  note  that  the  many  delicate 
attentions  of  which  she  had  been  the  recipient  had  sud 
denly  ceased.  To  add  to  her  perplexity,  she  was  in 
formed  by  a  note  from  Charles  Windom  that  he  had  been 
suddenly  called  to  New  York,  but  would  return  in  a  few 
days. 

"He  wrote  to  me,  when  he  could  so  easily  have  seen 
me  and  explained  why  he  should  leave  at  such  a  time," 
she  reflected;  and,  for  the  first  time,  tears  of  diSappoint- 
ment  followed  her  thoughts  of  him  to  whose  care  she 
had  confided  her  future  happiness. 

As  she  grew  gradually  better,  she  learned  that  few  of 
her  friends  manifested  any  knowledge  of  her  existence. 

But  her  suspicions  were  not  fully  aroused  until  she 
called  upon  a  dearly  loved  friend  who  was  standing  at  an 
upper  window  as  she  entered  the  house.  When  she  was 


184  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

told  that  she  also  was  "  out,"  it  dawned  upon  her  that 
slander  had  already  done  its  cruel  work.  She  returned 
home  broken  in  spirit,  mortified,  and  humiliated  beyond 
expression. 

The  next  day  Mrs.  Adams  questioned  the  physician  as 
to  the  nature  of  Amanda's  illness. 

"Brain  fever,  superinduced  by  nervous  prostration," 
was  his  answer ,  and  it  will  require  the  very  best  nursing 
to  save  her  life."  And  it  seemed  to  this  anxious  mother, 
whose  love  was  expressed  in  every  tone  of  voice  and  look 
of  eyes,  that  death  would  mercifully  release  her  from 
learning  that  truth,  which,  to  her  sensitive  nature,  was 
worse  than  the  sting  of  death. 


XXV. 

"Mamma,"  said  Amanda  a  few  weeks  later,  when  her 
strength  was  gradually  returning  to  her,  "I  feel  that 
this  disgrace  will  kill  me  or  make  me  insane  if  I  remain 
here.  Can  I  not  go  somewhere — far  away,  where  no  one 
knows  of  my  past  or  present,  and  get  some  occupation? 
Please  talk  to  dear  papa  about  it.  My  heart  almost 
breaks  if  I  try  to  talk  to  him."  And  they  wept  together. 
And  thus  it  happened  that  Amanda  became  a  clerk  in 
the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  Washington  City, 
which  was  presided  over  by  one  of  Colonel  Adams'  politi 
cal  friends.  Shesecured  lodgingin  a  quiet  neighborhood, 
and  soon  found  occupation  the  only  consolation  for  a 
mind  and  heart  as  grievously  wounded  as  was  hers.  She 
assumed  the  name  of  Miss  A.  M.  Anda  (Amanda),  thus 
preserving  her  maiden  name  by  a  transposition  of  the 
letters.  Her  demeanor  was  the  personification  of  mod 
esty,  and  her  silence  and  voluntary  isolation  was  attrib 
uted  to  grief  at  the  loss  of  a  near  relative,  and  every 
one  about  her  tacitly  respected  this  self-respecting  young 
woman,  whose  beauty  seemed  refined  by  suffering  and 
accented  by  the  mourning  dress  which  she  wore. 

No  one  ever  saw  her  face  on  the  avenues  and  streets, 
for  it  was  ever  veiled  as  she  walked,  or  rode,  to  and  from 
her  duties  in  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing. 
The  elasticity  of  youth  and  the  force  of  her  will,  under 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  185 

such  a  great  calamity  as  was  hers  at  this  crisis  in  her 
life,  was  wonderful.  Colonel  Adams  regarded  her  with 
admiration  and  amazement,  for  her  physicians  had  in 
formed  him  that  her  long  illness  would  result,  perhaps, 
in  feebleness  for  a  long  time.  But  suffering  had  only 
strengthened  that  self-reliance  which  she  had  so  recently 
illustrated. 

Her  natural  gentleness  was  beginning  to  assert  itself, 
for  she  was  accorded  by  every  one  that  respect  due  to  a 
lady  of  the  most  refined  sensibilities.  The  light-hearted- 
ness  of  her  nature  seemed  gone  forever,  but  there  was  a 
high-bred  demeanor  that  characterizes  the  lady  in  all  her 
movements  that  could  not  be  mistaken.  She  shunned 
society,  though  people  were  kind  enough  to  invite  her  to 
such  friendly  gatherings  as  were  open  to  people  occupy 
ing  such  clerical  position  as  was  hers.  In  refusing  she 
offended  none,  and  gained  the  sympathy  of  all;  for  in  the 
"Departments  "  in  Washington  City  are  many  of  the  best 
people  in  the  land.  Yet  she  suffered  as  only  the  most 
exalted  natures  can  suffer,  acutely,  but  uncomplainingly. 
8he  knew  all  now,  for  gradually  the  whole  truth  had 
been  divulged  to  her,  and  she  realized  that  life  had  for 
her  little  to  hope  for  except  the  knowledge  that  one's 
duty  is  to  act  well  one's  part  in  whatever  sphere  it  may 
be  cast.  But  her  mental  suffering  became  so  acute  that 
sleep  seemed  banished  from  her  pillow,  and  at  the  end  of 
a  year  she  feared  that  the  asylum  would  demand  one 
more  victim  if  some  relief  was  not  granted. 

The  thousands  of  clerks  and  officials  at  the  National 
Capital,  who  work  a  few  hours  and  have  many  hours  of 
leisure  each  day,  have  developed  a  society  ill  suited  to 
the  sensitive  nature  of  a  girl  like  Amanda.  The  charming 
social  life  of  the  literary  people  who  gatherthere;  of  the 
diplomatic  corps,  and  of  the  better  class  of  thenative  popu 
lation  —  was  shut  out  from  her,  both  because  of  her 
anomalous  life  and  the  subordinate  position  which  she 
held.  And  yet,  had  she  heeded  the  wishes  of  Colonel 
Adams  and  remained  with  them  as  their  daughter,  she 
might  have  been  courted  and  caressed  as  of  old,  with 
liveried  coachman  and  footman  of  her  own,  had  she  desired 
to  adopt  the  style  which  the  plutocrats  now  affect.  Even 
elander  melts  away  in  the  crucible  of  gold,  and  few  would 


186  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

have  believed  a  charge  which  no  one  desired  to  establish 
as  true.  Indeed,  few  believed  it  now ;  and  even  the 
author  of  the  report  doubted  its  truth,  and  regretted  the 
ignoble  part  which  she  had  taken  in  thus  injuring  her 
former  friend,  though  her  absence  from  New  Haven  was 
a  mystery  to  her  friends.  It  was  known  that  Charles 
Windom  was  in  an  asylum,  and  that  was  sufficient  ex 
cuse  for  the  breaking  off  of  the  marriage  engagement,  even 
if  the  discovery  of  his  mental  trouble  was  made  the  day 
before  the  wedding.  She  was  free,  therefore,  to  resume 
her  place  in  the  home  which  had  sheltered  her  all  her 
life,  butshe  could  not  persuade  herself  to  live  there  again. 
In  Washington  City  one  can  see,  if  it  can  be  seen  any 
where,  the  development  to  which  the  negro  race  has 
attained  after  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  freedom.  They 
abound  everywhere,  and  detract  as  much  from  the 
galleries  of  Congress  as  they  add  to  the  picturesque 
color  of  the  throngs  and  scenes  in  the  streets  of  the 
beautiful  city.  Yet,  the  more  Amanda  saw  of  them,  the 
less  she  seemed  attracted  to  them,  and  the  more  difficult 
it  was  for  her  to  accept  as  a  fact  that  she  was  even 
remotely  connected  by  blood-ties  with  this  inferior  race. 
There  was  no  race  affinity  whatever ;  and  she  felt  the 
more  removed  from  them  because  of  the  assertion  that 
she  was  remotely  one  of  them.  But  she  determined  to 
learn  more  of  them,  and  with  this  object  in  view,  she 
attended,  one  Sunday,  the  negro  Catholic  church— a 
church  presided  over  by  negro  priests,  with  negro  aco- 
tytes  and  a  negro  choir — and  she  was  assigned  a  seat  in 
the  pew  of  a  wealthy  colored  man.  She  tried  to  regard 
the  scene  philosophically ;  and  she  marveled  at  the  beauty 
and  melody  of  the  voices  in  the  choir,  for  negroes  have 
this  talent  to  an  extent  which,  when  sufficient  time  has 
elapsed,  will  please  and  astonish  the  world.  Barring 
this,  however,  there  was  nothing  in  common  between 
herself  and  them.  The  two  women  in  the  pew  were  better 
dressed  than  herself,  and  were  evidently  educated  mu- 
lattoes.  The  man  was  a  negro,  "black  as  the  ace  of 
spades,"  with  thick  lips,  flat  nose,  low  forehead,  a  typi 
cal  negro  of  the  most  advanced  type  among  his  fellows, 
for  he  had  amassed  riches.  His  manner  to  her  was 
deferential,  yet  restrained,  as  he  called  her  "lady"  when 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  <    187 

he  had  shown  her  to  his  own  pew.  To  the  people  of  his 
own  race,  popularly  called  "colored  people,"  it  was  the 
manner  of  vulgar  arrogance ;  and  Amanda  was  shocked 
when  she  thought  how  revolting  it  must  be  to  the  yellow 
woman  by  her  side,  whose  manners  were  as  gentle  as  his 
were  vulgar,  to  be  united  to  a  black  man  like  that  one. 
The  little  child,  of  three  years  of  age,  of  this  couple,  bore 
no  resemblance  to  its  mother,  neither  in  col  or  nor  features, 
but  was  black  like  its  father;  "and  yet,"  thought 
Amanda,  "the  mother  of  this  child  seems  fond  of  it — 
attached  to  it — yes,  loves  it." 

She  longed  to  leave  the  church  and  all  the  surroundings 
which  these  thoughts  conjured  up,  but  she  could  not  do 
so  without  making  herself  conspicuous.  She  seemed  to 
be  the  only  white  person  in  the  church.  She  looked 
around,  and  saw  one  other  white  family  in  a  pew  behind 
them,  but  not  far  distant.  There  were  seated  the  father, 
mother  and  children,  and  it  seemed  incongruous  to  her. 
Were  they  attracted  there  by  curiosity,  like  herself?  She 
asked  herself  this  question  mentally.  She  looked  again — 
something  that  in  all  her  life  she  rarely  had  done  before 
during  divine  service.  They  were  evidently  members  of 
the  church,  for  thefathernow arose a.nd  was  among  those 
who  took  up  the  collection  that  day.  Was  it  possible 
that  this  man  had  bowed  to  her  as  she  placed  her  contri 
bution  in  the  plate  ? 

"That  is  the  Congressman  from  Louisiana,  lady," 
whispered  the  woman  by  her  side.  Amanda  mechanically 
bowed  but  said  nothing.  She  did  not  know  what  to  say 
or  how  to  greet  these  people. 

She  was  relieved  when  the  services  were  over,  but  was 
shocked  when  the  Congressman  said  to  the  man  in  whose 
pew  she  had  sat : 

"Introduce  us  to  your  friend.  Is  she  from  New  Orleans?" 

"I  don't  know  her,  sir.  She  is  a  stranger,"  the  man 
replied. 

Amanda  hastened  away  and  walked  all  the  way  to  her 
boarding  house  for  fear  that  this  ma.n  and  his  family 
might  enter  the  same  street  car  and  force  themselves 
upon  her  acquaintance  if  she  went  in  that  vehicle. 

"  Why  did  this  man  wish  to  know  me  ?  Did  he  see  any 
thing  in  me  to  remind  him  of  anyone?  Is  he  an  octoroon? 


188  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

And  do  all  that  proscribed  class  feel  at  liberty  to  thrust 
their  acquaintance  upon  each  other  in  this  manner?" 
Thus  were  her  thoughts,  and  the  future  seemed  a  great 
gulf  yawning  to  receive  her. 

This  Congressman  was  in  reality  seven-eighths  white. 

"  Socially  he  is  a  negro,  but  ethnologically  he  is  white," 
said  a  prominent  newspaper.  "  Analytically  he  is  sixty- 
three  parts  white  to  one  part  black;  fractionally  sixty- 
three  sixty-fourths  of  him  are  Caucasian,  while  the  other 
sixty-fourth  is  something  else.  Even  as  a  little  leaven 
leaveneth  the  whole,  so  this  slight  mixture  of  negro 
blood  determines  this  Congressman's  social  status. 

"He  looks  like  a  white  man  and  he  cannot  be  distin 
guished  from  the  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  white 
Republicans  in  the  House  by  color  alone. 

"He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  a  female  slave 
brought  to  this  country  from  the  island  of  Madagascar. 
If  this  be  true,  he  may  not  have  a  drop  of  negro  blood 
in  him,  for  the  Madagascar  Islanders  belongto  the  Malay 
or  Polynesian  stock  —  not  black,  but  buff-colored  people. 

"  His  wife  is  said  to  be  a  white  woman  with  a  slight  ad 
mixture  of  Indian  blood.  They  have  seven  children, 
some  of  them  being  white,  while  others  have  a  brilliant 
bronze-like  complexion,  with  red  cheeks  and  lips,  and  jet 
black  hair,  the  types  peculiar  to  the  West  Indian  inlands. 

<i  When  he  was  here  early  in  the  last  session  he  had  with 
him  two  of  his  children  —  aboy  and  a  girl.  The  boy  was 
white,  with  a  freckled  face  and  reddish  hair.  The  girl 
had  brown  eyes,  bronzed  skin  and  raven  hair  slightly 
wavy.  Neither  had  the  slightest  trace  of  the  African, 
either  in  form  or  feature.  The  boy  was  not  especially 
good-looking;  the  girl  was  a  beauty." 

Amanda  read  this  criticism  in  the  New  Haven  paper 
with  conflicting  emotions.  She  learned  from  it  that  even 
with  this  small  admixture  of  negro  blood,  and  notwith 
standing  his  high  character  and  official  position  as  one 
of  the  nation's  rulers,  neither  this  man  nor  any  of  his 
family  received  social  recognition  among  the  white  people 
of  the  national  capital.  Officially  he  was  treated  as  a 
gentleman ;  socially  he  was  as  unknown  as  the  negro  porter 
or  janitor  of  a  public  building. 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  189 


XXVI. 

One  of  the  richest  plutocrats  of  the  Senate  had  sent  his 
card  to  "  Miss  Anda"  by  a  protege  of  his — a  young  girl 
of  noted  beauty  and  decidedly  fast — who  was  also  a  clerk 
in  the  same  office  where  Amanda  had  a  desk.  She  had 
endeavored ,  i  n  every  way  in  her  power,  to  repel  all  intimacy 
with  this  young  person,  but  had  refrained  from  giving 
offense.  She  had  refused  to  be  introduced  to  any  gentle 
man  exceptthose  whom  the  demands  of  business  made  it 
necessary  for  her  to  meet.  The  motive  of  the  young  girl 
who  brought  her  the  Senator's  card  was  to  win  a  simple 
wager.  The  Senator  had  told  her  of  the  reserve  with 
which  Amanda  seemed  to  hedge  herself  around,  and  the 
gay  young  damsel  had  made  a  wager  that  she  would 
present  him  to  Amanda,  with  her  consent,  within  an  hour. 

"  But  I  do  not  know  this  gentleman ! "  said  Amanda, 
her  cheeks  flushing  with  indignation  as  she  spoke. 

"But  he  is  a  Senator  and  awfully  rich,  and  as  hand-  • 
some  and  nice  as  he  can  be,"  urged  the  girl. 

Amanda  with  a  look  of  withering  scorn,  answered  :  "  I 
do  not  wish  to  know  him  ;  no  gentleman  would  seek  an 
introduction  in  this  manner."  For  there,  near  the  door, 
stood  the  Senator,  ready  to  come  forward  immediately, 
and  Amanda  saw  him.  He  turned  and  left  the  room 
immediately;  for  the  third  time  he  had  been  baffled,  and 
he  determined  to  fathom  the  mystery  that  seemed  to 
isolate  Amanda  from  her  fellows  and  protect  her  from 
such  as  he. 

"Well,  I  declare! "  said  the  girl,  as  she  prepared  to 
follow,  for  the  day's  duties  were  over.  Amanda  did  not 
reply,  but  arranged  her  desk  with  an  outward  calmness 
that  belied  the  tempest  that  raged  in  her  once  gentle 
breast;  and  not  until  she  had  left  did  she  give  utterance 
to  her  outraged  feelings. 

" '  Sorrow's  crown  of  sorrow,'  thus,  in  the  midst  of  the 
world's  active  life,  isolated  from  all  one's  fellows !  Each 
day  a  living  lie — a  personation  of  another,  who  does 
not  exist,  in  order  that  this  dual  life  may  be  sustained. 
A  smile  on  the  face,  a  tear  in  the  heart,  and  life  a 


190  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

mask  !  Ah,  me!  I  can  look  back  over  my  whole  life  and, 
until  this  fearful  knowledge  came  unto  me,  not  one  con 
cealment,  not  one  ungracious  or  malicious  thought  to 
any  human  being  was  mine.  To  me,  truth  has  been  the 
beacon  light  which  clarified  religion,  and  made  all  nec 
essary  sacrifice  a  pleasure.  My  creed  has  been  to  be 
frank— open — so  to  live  that  each  thought  might  be 
avowed  without  fear  of  self-reproah.  Concealment — to 
act  a  part — would  have  been ,  as  it  is,  revolting  to  me. 
It  seems  a  hideous  nightmare  that  I,  taught  to  think 
myself  the  equal,  by  right  of  birth,  to  any  in  this  land, 
blessed  as  few  have  been  by  advantages  given  me  by 
my — ah,  me ! — to  think  that  they  are  not  my  parents ! 
and  that  I  am  but  a  nameless  waif,  an  orphan,  adopted 
by  good  people  in  infancy,  and — and —  illegitimate  I " 

Obscure,  yea,  unknown  parentage!  Aye,  and  far  worse 
than  that,  the  brand  of  the  negro  race,  however  infini 
tesimal  the  trace,  seared  in  her  heart  as  with  hot  iron ! 
The  world  may  not  know  it,  but  she  does;  and  this 
knowledge  is  a  decree  of  banishment,  of  exile,  from  all 
the  people  and  all  the  scenes  which  she  most  loved. 

"  There  is  no  room  in  society  in  this  land  which  offers  an 
asylum  to  the  oppressed  of  all  nations,  for  an  octoroon's 
child  !  "  moaned  this  beautiful  young  woman,  who,  but  a 
few  weeks  previous,  had  been  the  belle  of  one  of  the 
most  cultured  cities  in  the  United  States. 

As  Amanda  left  the  Treasury  Department  a  few  days 
later,  she  noticed,  among  the  people  who  thronged  the 
sidewalk,  a  man  who  seemed  to  know  her.  He  lifted 
his  hat  as  she  reached  the  steps  leading  to  the  sidewalk, 
and  smiled  as  if  he  were  a  familiar  acquaintance.  She 
had  never  met  him  before,  and  at  first  supposed  that 
his  salutation  must  have  been  directed  to  some  other 
lady.  She  looked  around,  but  there  was  no  other  lady 
visible.  Nevertheless,  she  passed  out  and  on,  determined 
not  to  acknowledge  the  acquaintance  of  any  stranger. 

The  man  seemed  to  be  of  middle  age,  was  tall,  very 
slender,  and  wore  good  clothes,  barring  the  slouch  hat 
and  chin  whiskers  which  proclaimed  him  a  provincial. 
His  face  was  notably  weak,  whether  from  dissipation  or 
nature,  Amanda  did  not  have  time  nor  inclination  to 
consider. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  191 

This  individual  would  have  passed  out  of  her  mind 
as  quickly  as  he  had  entered  her  thoughts  had  she  been 
permitted  to  escape  him.  But,  seeing  that  she  would 
cross  the  street  at  the  next  corner  where  the  throng 
would  detain  her,  he  made  his  way  rapidly  across  it, 
and  stood  at  the  opposite  corner  awaiting  her  approach. 
She  was  startled  now,  as  she  observed  his  persistent 
efforts  to  attract  her  attention,  and,  with  a  frown  of  dis 
pleasure,  she  passed  on.  She  was  conscious  that  the 
man  followed  her,  but  at  a  distance,  and  it  was  not 
until  she  had  reached  her  boarding  house  that  she 
learned  he  had  ceased  to  follow  her. 

What  did  it  mean  ?  Evidently  he  intended  to  discover 
where  she  was  living ;  but  for  what  reason  ? 

The  following  Sunday,  as  she  emerged  from  the  Epis 
copal  church,  the  same  man  stood  near  the  door  and 
greeted  her  as  he  had  done  a  few  days  previous.  Again 
she  refused  to  recognize  him.  Day  by  day  he  awaited  her 
exit  from  the  Treasury  Department,  and  he  seemed  to 
shadow  her  footsteps  like  a  detective.  Finally,  others 
noticed  it,  and  a  young  girl,  whose  desk  was  in  the  same 
apartment  as  Amanda's,  gave  expression  to  her  suspi 
cions. 

"Who  is  your  friend,  Miss  Anda?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure ;  but  he  is  not  a  friend  of  mine, 
and  I  am  getting  tired  of  his  impertinence." 

"Why  don't  you  call  on  the  police  for  protection?" 
suggested  the  girl. 

"  I  am  greatly  tempted  to  do  so ;  but  I  so  dread  public 
ity.  The  thought  that  I  might  be  summoned  to  testify 
concerning  his  rudeness  before  a  horrid  court  appalls 
me." 

"And  it  may  well  do  so,"  remarked  the  man,  who  had 
overheard  her,  "  for  I  can  testify  as  well  as  yourself." 

Amanda's  companion  had  entered  a  passing  street  car 
just  before  the  man  had  made  this  threatening  remark, 
and  Amanda  alone  had  heard  him. 

If  "  the  bravest  are  the  gentlest,"  the  gentlest  are  like 
wise  courageous  when  occasion  demands  it,  and  the 
brazen  fellow  was  astonished  at  her  actions  now.  Con 
fronting  him  with  a  steady  eye  and  an  accent  devoid  of 
tremor,  Amanda  said : 


192  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"  I  do  not  know  who  you  are,  sir;  but  I  do  know  that 
no  gentleman  would  threaten  a  lady;  and  no  one  with  a 
spark  of  manhood  would  dog  my  footsteps  as  you  have 
done.  And  I  warn  you,  sir,  if  you  do  not  leave  this 
street  instantly  and  cease  to  annoy  me,  I  will  have  you 
arrested  as  the  nuisance  that  you  are." 

" No,  you  will  not,  my  pretty  cousin;  for  if  you  do 
that,  you  will  have  to  acknowledge  that  I  am  your 
cousin." 

"  My  cousin !  I  have  no  cousin;  what  do  you  mean? 
Are  you  crazy?" 

"By  no  means,  as  you  are  apt  to  discover  sooner  or 
later.  My  name  is  Lee — Eodney  Lee — at  your  service," 
stammered  the  man,  whose  brazen  effrontery  was  giving 
way  before  the  indignant  girl  who  thus  defied  him. 

"Then  a  good  name  has  been  dishonored,  I  fear — good 
evening;  I  hope  I  will  never  see  you  again." 

Amanda  was  not  left  long  in  ignorance  of  what  the 
man  meant.  The  next  morning  she  received  a  note  from 
Rodney  Lee  asking  her  to  appoint  a  time  for  an  inter 
view. 

" I  assure  you,"  he  wrote,  "that  my  intentions  are 
honorable,  and  even  kindly,  if  you  will  listen  to  reason ; 
but  if  you  decline,  I  shall  make  known  to  the  public  here 
who  and  what  you  are.  You  are  Carter  Lee's  niece,  and 
the  superior  court  of  Georgia  has  decided  that  you,  the 
illegitimate  daughter  of  my  first  cousin,  Henry  Lee, 
deceased,  are  the  heir  to  the  property  of  Carter  Lee  in 
that  State^  This  decision  makes  me  a  pauper,  and 
enriches  you  at  the  expense  of  all  that  you  hold  dear — 
viz.,  such  publicity  as  to  your  origin  as  will  insure  social 
ostracism  wherever  you  live.  I  offer  you  my  hand  in 
marriage,  and  will  do  all  that  I  can  do  to  make  you 
happy  if  you  will  accept.  This  will  virtually  secure  a 
competence  to  both  of  us — and — I  never  saw  any  one 
whom  I  preferred  to  make  my  wife  than  yourself.  Think 
of  it — be  reasonable,  and  let  us  thus  silence  all  slander 
and  calumny.  I  will  await  your  reply  two  days." 

It  wa.s  not  a  Lee  who  thus  acted,  but  the  debased  vic 
tim  of  the  opium  habit,  the  most  insidious  enemy  to 
our  modern  civilization. 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  193 


XXVII. 

Had  she  yielded  to  her  first  impulse,  she  would  have 
indignantly  declined  to  have  anything  to  do  with  this 
mercenary  adventurer.  Who  was  he?  To  what  will  did 
he  refer?  She  had  never  been  told  that  there  was  a  will 
in  her  favor,  and  she  did  not  know  the  name  of  Carter 
Lee's  father,  or  indeed  of  her  own  father.  She  had  been 
informed  by  the  old  negro  bishop  of  all  that  she  knew 
concerning  her  unfortunate  origin,  and  that  was  limited 
to  the  knowledge  that  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Adams  were  not 
her  parents,  and  that  her  mother  was  born  a  slave  though 
almost  white.  Her  father,  she  had  been  told,  was  a 
brother  of  Carter  Lee,  but  so  abhorrent  had  all  these 
facts  seemed  to  her  that  she  had  never  asked  a  human 
being  to  enlighten  her  further.  Her  aim  in  life  now  was 
to  blot  out  of  her  existence  all  the  past  as  far  as  it  was 
possible  to  do,  and,  by  a  faithful  performance  of  her 
duties  and  by  adherence  "to  the  strictest  canons  of  pro 
priety,  to  command  that  respect  which  is  due  to  all 
virtuous  women.  She  was  as  innocent  as  a  babe  of  all 
vicious  thoughts,  and  had  no  conception  of  how  prone 
mankind  are  to  judge  the  best  of  womankind  from  their 
own  immoral  standard. 

This  innocence,  and  this  ignorance  of  the  evil  side  of 
human  nature  gave  her  courage,  and  she  decided  to  meet 
this  stranger  and  learn  the  worst  as  speedily  as  possible. 
To  act,  and  act  immediately,  was  the  only  relief  which 
her  tortured  mind  could  summon  to  its  aid,  and  she  sat 
down  and  mailed  an  answer  appointing  an  interview  at 
noon  the  next  day  in  the  rotunda  of  the  capitol.  "No 
place  can  be  more  public  than  that,"  she  reflected,  "  and 
he  cannot  insult  me  with  impunity  in  the  midst  of  the 
nation's  representatives." 

Alas !  she  little  knew  that  it  is  in  such  places  that  the 
most  abandoned  and  reckless  creatures  are  found,  and 
that  a  beautiful  young  woman  is  to  be  pitied  who  is  to  be 
found  there  without  an  escort.  It  needs  no  Asmodeus  to 
discover  that  Senators  and  members  of  Congress  are  not 
all  angels ;  and  more  than  one  of  these  august  represent 
atives  cast  glances  upon  her,  as  she  stood  looking  at  the 

M.  P.— 13 


194  THE   MODER>«f    PARIAH. 

paintings  on  the  walls,  that  did  not  savor  of  that  respect 
to  which  she  had  been  accustomed  all  her  life.  Indignant 
at  such  treatment,  she  was  about  to  leave  the  rotunda, 
for  ten  minutes  after  the  noon  hour  had  passed,  when 
her  arm  was  seized  in  a  familiar  manner  and  the  stranger 
to  whom  she  had  written,  said : 

"Come  this  way,  I  will  take  you  where  we  can  talk 
more  privately." 

"  But  I  do  not  wish  to  talk  to  you  privately;  I  selected 
this  place  because  of  its  publicity.  I  do  not  know  you, 
sir;  release  my  arm !" 

The  scene  had  not  escaped  a  passing  Senator's  eyes, 
who  paused  to  see  the  denouement.  The  man  had  released 
his  hold  upon  her  arm  and,  turning  to  the  Senator, 
bowed  to  him  as  if  he  were  an  acquaintance. 

"  What  are  you  up  to,  Lee?  "  he  said,  and,  passing  on 
with  a  significant  smile,  he  disappeared. 

Amanda  was  inexpressibly  mortified.  "You  see  to  what 
suspicions  you  subject  yourself,"  said  Lee.  "Now,  we 
can  talk  without  interruption  or  misunderstanding  if 
you  will  enter  a  committee  room  near  by.'' 

"Is  it  usual  for  ladies  to  do  this?  I  cannot  think  so, 
and  I  prefer  to  hear  what  you  have  to  nay  here." 

"Then  I  will  have  nothing  more  to  say,"  he  replied, 
with  a  sullen,  dogged  look. 

She  hesitated  a  moment,  then  said :  "  In  order  to  have 
you  say  all  that  you  have  to  say,  and  thus  be  rid  of  you 
for  all  time  to  come,  I  consent ;  but  the  door  must  be  left 
open." 

A  smile  of  triumph  greeted  this  yielding  answer,  and 
saying:  "Come  on,  then,"  he  led  the  way.  That  he  was 
a  bad  man  Amanda  felt  assured ;  that  he  was  a  weak  one 
she  felt  equally  confident. 

Slowly  he  informed  her  of  the  details  of  the  trial ;  of  the 
employment  of  eminent  counsel  by  Bishop  Hunter  in 
defense  of  her  interests;  of  the  final  decree  of  the  supe 
rior  court,  a  short  time  previous,  declaring  her  to  be  the 
heir  to  all  the  property  of  the  late  Carter  Lee,  Sr., 
deceased,  in  the  State  of  Georgia. 

"This  is  a  very  remarkable  statement,"  said  Amanda, 
"  for  I  never  heard  of '  the  late  Carter  Lee,  Sr.,  deceased,' 
before." 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  195 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  are  not  known  in  New  Haven 
as  Miss  Amanda  Adams?"  he  exclaimed. 

'•'1  am  so  known  in  New  Haven,  and,  until  recently,  I 
always  believed  that  I  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.' 
Adams  of  New  Haven,"  she  said.  She  was  surprised  at 
the  calmness  with  which  she  spoke,  while  her  heart  was 
beating  like  the  wings  of  a  poor,  imprisoned  bird  flutter 
ing  in  its  cage.  He  was  surprised  to  learn  that  she  knew 
nothing  of  the  contest  concerning  the  alleged  will  in  her 
behalf,  and  seemed  utterly  indifferent  to  the  good 
fortune  that  had  thus  befallen  her,  if  his  statements 
prove  to  be  true. 

To  him,  up  to  this  moment,  she  was  but  one  of  the 
thousands  of  female  clerks  in  Washington  whose 
living  was  dependent  upon  their  salaries,  and  whose 
appointment  depended  upon  the  will  or  caprice  of  gov 
ernment  officials,  with  all  the  demoralization  which  that 
implies. 

"But  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?"  he 
asked,  as  he  saw  that  she  was  preparing  to  leave  the 
room. 

"What  am  I  going  to  do  about  what?  As  for  the 
property  which  you  say  this  '  Mr.  Carter  Lee,  Sr.,  de 
ceased,'  left  to  me,  who  never  heard  of  him  before  in  all 
my  life,  I  do  not  care  one  copper  about  it,  and  I  do  not 
propose  to  accept  it." 

"  You  surely  don't  mean  what  you  say !  "  he  exclaimed, 
with  an  incredulous  look. 

"I  surely  do  mean  it ;  and  I  mean  to  say,  further, that 
I  trust  I  will  never  hear  from  it  or  from  you  again. 
Good  day,  sir." 

This  was  startling,  and  left  him  no  nearer  the  goal  of 
his  hopes  than  he  was  before.  Unless  she  would  con 
sent  to  marry  him,  or  would  deed  the  property  to 
him  for  a  reasonable  consideration,  it  was  lost  to  him 
forever. 

Anticipating  her,  therefore,  he  stepped  between  her 
and  the  door  and  faced  her  with  the  remark  : 

"You  must  not  leave  this  room  without  promising  to 
marry  me.  Your  name  will  be  blasted  forever  if  I  pro 
claim  who  and  what  you  are.  Once  united  in  marriage 
to  me,  no  man  will,  or  can  assail  it,  and,  in  return  for 


196  THE    MODERN    PAKIAH. 

giving  to  me  an  assured  competency,  I  will  do  all  I  can 
to  make  you  happy." 

He  leaped  to  the  door  and  closed  and  locked  it,  throw 
ing  her  against  the  Avail  in  his  impetuous  haste.  For  a 
second  Amanda  was  too  much  startled  to  think,  then 
she  felt  against  the  wall  for  support,  and  in  so  doing 
touched  Rodney  Lee's  walking  cane.  She  seized  this 
cane,  as  he  approached  her  after  bolting  the  door, 
and  raised  it  with  both  hands,  for  instantly  her  strange 
power  as  experienced  in  the  friendly  tilt  with  Pro 
fessor  Von  Donhoff  came  to  her  aid  now.  Without 
reflection  it  was  done,  and,  fixing  her  eyes  upon  his,  she 
awaited  his  coming  with  the  cane  held  in  both  hands  as 
she  had  held  the  billiard-cue ;  for  she  did  not  know  that 
she  could  exercise  the  same  power  by  mere  force  of  will. 
That  experience  had  been  prompted  by  a  mischievous 
desire  to  have  a  little  fun  at  the  expense  of  her  old 
friend ;  this  was  designed  to  protect  her  in  what  seemed 
to  be  the  most  perilous  hour  of  her  life.  Yet  not  by  one 
word,  or  look,  or  act  had  Rodney  Lee  evinced  any  desire 
or  intention  of  injuring  her.  To  her,  honor  was 
dearer  than  life,  and  he  had  already  learned  that  much. 

In  truth  he  had  no  well-defined  purpose  in  thus  im 
prisoning  her  in  that  large  room  with  no  one  present  ex 
cept  himself,  other  than  to  force  her  to  remain  until  he 
had  exhausted  all  argument  to  induce  her  to  restore  his 
lost  fortune  and  assure  her  own  social  position  by 
becoming  his  wife.  She  could  see  that  he  was  trembling 
violently,  but  she  attributed  this  to  excitement,  while  it 
was  in  truth  due  to  the  departing  influence  of  the  opium 
which  he  had  taken  to  steady  him  for  this  interview.  She 
knew  nothing  of  his  habits  or  history,  and  awaited  his 
movements  with  an  intensity  of  anxiety  that  can  be 
imagined  better  than  it  can  be  described. 

"Don't  strike  me,  but  listen  to  me:  I  mean  you  no 
harm.  Will  you  marry  me  and  thus  assure  my  fortune 
and  happiness,  and  gain  for  yourself  that  position  by 
which  alone  you  can  hope  to  have  social  recognition  ? 
It  is  life  or  death  to  me:  it  is  ruin  to  you,  if  you  re 
fuse." 

"No  gentleman  would  act  as  you  have  done,  sir;  and 
no  man  with  a  spark  of  manly  honor  would  thus  seek  to 


THE    MODEHN    PAKIAH.  197 

intimidate  a  defenseless  woman.  I  would  not  marry  you 
if  you  were  worth- millions.  Open  that  door,  and  release 
me  this  instant!" 

This  retort  surprised  and  disconcerted  him  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  as  if  for  lack  of  anything  else  to  think 
of,  he  seized  the  cane  and  endeavored  to  take  it  from 
her. 

This  was  her  opportunity,  and  she  soon  saw  that  he 
was  to  be 'as  pliable  an  instrument  in  her  hands  as  the 
redoubtable  Professor  had  been.  With  both  hands  he 
tried  to  wrest  the  cane  from  her,  and  steadily  but  surely 
she  led  him  away  from  the  table  and  around  the  room. 
In  vain  he  sought  to  disengage  his  hands  from  the  cane, 
as  he  felt  a  mysterious  power  overcoming  his  strength 
like  unto  that  of  opium  itself.  Then  his  anger  arose,  and 
ho  struggled  as  he  would  have  done  had  he  been  in 
mortal  combat  with  a  strong  man.  And  during  it  all  she 
seemed  as  calm  and  strong  as  when  the  struggle  com 
menced.  Rapidly  they  passed  around  and  around  the 
room,  his  breath  now  coming  fast  until  his  physical 
strength  seemed  to  be  as  that  of  a  child.  His  nerves 
seemed  shattered ;  his  will  forever  gone ;  and  at  last,  she, 
with  one  upward  turn  of  her  wrist,  sent  him  reeling  to 
the  floor.  His  head  struck  the  iron  grate  with  such 
force  as  to  leave  him  for  a  moment  unconscious,  and 
Amanda,  taking  advantage  of  the  respite  thus  granted, 
quickly  unlocked  the  door  and  departed.  Assheemerged 
from  the  room,  she  was  vexed  to  see  the  same  Senator 
whom  she  had  noticed  in  the  rotunda,  and  who  greeted 
her  with  a  smile  that  seemed  insulting  to  her  as  she 
passed  out. 

While  unfortunate  for  her,  it  was  fortunate  for  Rodney 
Lee  that  this  Senator  saw  her  as  she  left  the  room,  for 
curiosity  led  him  there  and  he  was  amazed  to  find  Lee 
sitting  on  the  floor  as  if  in  a  dazed  condition,  the  blood 
trickling  from  the  wound  in  his  head. 

«  What's  the  matter,  Lee?  Did  that  beautiful  girl, 
with  a  face  like  a  seraph's  and  a  form  like  a  goddess, 
stab  you?  Truly,  you  can't  trust  the  best  of  them — 1 
mean  Washington  women,  you  know,"  said  the  Sena 
tor,  as  he  aided  the  young  man  to  rise. 

Rodney  Lee  was  born  and  reared  a  gentleman,  and, 


198  THE    MODEUN    PARIAH. 

while  opium  had  enchained  him  a  slave  in  its  ruthless 
grasp,  the  instincts  of  a  gentleman  remained. 

"You  do  the  lady  injustice,''  he  answered.  "  She  is  as 
innocent  as  your  wife  or  daughter,  sir;  and,  moreover,  is 
a  distant  relative  of  mine.  I  had  a  fit,  that  is  all,  and 
she  did  all  she  could  to  relieve  me  until  I  begged  her  to 
leave." 

The  Senator's  face,  assuming  as  it  did  an  incredulous 
look,  would  have  been  a  good  study  for  a  painter,  so 
quickly  did  its  expression  change  to  one  of  sympathy  as 
Lee's  eyes  sought  his ;  for  Rodney  Lee  might  yet  get  the 
estate  and,  if  he  did,  would  be  one  of  his  most  influential 
constituents. 

"  Ah !  well,  I  am  glad  to  hear  it — and  I  repeat,  she  has 
the  face  of  a  Madonna,  and  I  can  readily  believe  all  that 
you  say  in  her  favor.  But  I  did  not  know  you  were  sub 
ject  to  fits '' 

"I  am  not;  this  is  the  first  I  ever  had,  and  I  think  it 
must  be  caused  by  weakness." 

The  Senator  knew,  as  all  of  Rodney  Lee's  acquain 
tances  knew,  that  he  was  a  victim  to  the  morphine 
habit,  and  when  the  drug  had  left  his  system  that  he  was 
correctly  described  by  Bishop  Hunter  as  "  an  insignificant 
human."  He  knew,  too,  that  the  use  of  this  infamous 
drug  deprives  one  of  all  will  power,  and  converts  the 
most  truthful  person  to  a  liar  of  Munchausen  proportions. 
He  had  read  DeQuincey's  "Confessions  of  an  Opium 
Eater,"  and  had  sought  to  verify  his  statements  by 
observing  the  characteristics  of  this  young  man  whom 
he  had  known  from  his  infancy.  He  was  not  a  bad  man, 
as  Senators  go,  but  morality  was  not  his  strong  point; 
on  the  contrary  it  was  said  that  he  was  very  lax  in  his 
own  conduct  sometimes. 

"Mr.  Lee,"  said  he,  cheerily,  "  you  must  not  have  any 
more  meetings  with  pretty  women,  whether  relatives  or 
not,  in  our  committee  room.  You'll  lose  your  place  if 
you  do,  and  you  know  I  had  the  devil  of  a  time  in  keep 
ing  it  open  for  you.  Rutherford  .will  never  forgive  me, 
and  he  controls  a  good  many  votes,  I  hear." 

"  Senator,  this  won't  happen  any  more.  But — pardon 
me  for  asking  it — I  have  carried  my  case  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  you  know " 


THE    MODERN    PAKIAH.  199 

"Yes, yes;  I  understand — how  much  do  you  need — make 
it  as  small  an  amount  as  you  can — I  am  cramped  myself 
to-day ' 

"Thank  you.  Ten  dollars  will  do.  I'll  give  you  my 
note " 

"  Here  is  the  money  —  don't  want  your  note,  my  boy. 
But  call  around  and  pay  it  back  when  you  are  paid 
your  salary  to-morrow,  or  this  is  the  last  time  I  can 
favor  you." 

Rodney  Lee  eagerly  accepted  the  money,  and,  placing 
his-  hat  on  his  head,  went  quickly  to  the  nearest  drug 
store  —  his  limbs  and  hands  shaking  meanwhile  as  if  with 
palsy  —  and  got  his  dose  of  opium. 

"  Poor  fellow  ! "  said  the  Senator,  as  he  watched hirngo 
down  the  great  steps  that  led  from  the  Capitol.  "  Poor 
fellow  !  he  is  not  bad  at  heart  —  as  that  lie  he  told  to 
save  the  reputation  of  that  girl  shows.  I  must  learn 
who  she  is.  But  Rodney  Lee  will  be  dead  or  insane  in  a 
year,  I  am  afraid  ." 

It  was  not  surprising  that  Amanda  pleaded  indisposi 
tion  and  was  unable  to  go  to  her  work  the  next  day,  or  the 
next.  Indeed,  her  mental  suffering,  the  keenness  of  her 
misery  at  the  thought  that  all  her  efforts  to  lead  a  pure 
and  earnest  life  of  labor  under  the  assumed  name  of 
"Miss  Anda,"  would  end  thus  in  an  exposure  which 
would  disgrace  her  and  cause  her  to  be  unjustly  suspected, 
was  enough  to  appall  and  discourage  her.  Had  Dr. 
DuBose  appeared  then  and  urged  his  suit  he  would  have 
won  her,  for  now  the  fear  of  disgrace —  removal  from  her 
position  because  of  a  faint  trace  of  negro  blood  in  her 
veins  —  was  stronger  than  her  love  for  the  demented  man 
whom  she  might  never  see  again. 

But  Dr.  DuBose  now  had  no  desire  to  marry  her.  He 
loved  her  still,  but  love  with  him  was  controlled  by  his 
reason,  and  no  consideration,  except,  perhaps,  the  saving 
of  her  life,  would  have  tempted  him  to  unite  himself  in 
marriage  with  one  thus  condemned  by  her  unfortunate 
birth.  In  this  matter  he  was  as  relentless  as  is  the 
orthodox  Hindoo  in  matters  pertaining  to  caste. 

The  change  in  her  manner  and  appearance  was  so  not 
able  when  she  returned  to  her  place  at  her  desk,  that  the 


200  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

young  girl  who  had  accompained  her  the  day  she  was 
accosted  by  Rodney  Lee,  said  to  her,  flippantly : 

"So,  you  have  had  a  lark  at  last,  I  see;  so  have  I." 
Then  she  laughed  giddily,  as  if  inviting  a  mutual 
confidence. 

Amanda's  face  turned  crimson  as  she  answered  : "  I  do 
notunderstand  you,  Miss  Russell.  You  surely  do  not  know 
to  whom  you  are  speaking.  I  trust  that  3rou  will  not 
presume  in  that  manner  again." 

The  girl,  who  was  richly  dressed  for  one  who  earned  so 
small  a  salary,  turned  away  abashed  and  without  answer. 
Amanda  had  won  her  respect,  andhad  caused  a  jealous 
enmity  to  spring  up  in  the  mind  of  this  fair  girl,  who 
could  not  appreciate  the  lofty  sentiments  of  honor  of  a 
lady  like  Amanda. 

Who  can  gauge  a  woman's  nature?  Who  measure  the 
boundless  love  and  the  latent  depravity  which  dwells  in 
the  same  breast?  Too  many  of  them  are  creatures  <f 
circumstances,  and,  once  the  false  step  taken,  though 
without  premeditation,  all  is  lost  forever.  Human 
sympathy  is  not  for  them. 


XXVIII. 

What  a  wonderful  pageant  was  that  at  Delhi,  in  sight 
of  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Mogul  rulers  of  Hindoostan  ! 
And  yonder  slender  but, stalwart  looking  young  gentle 
man  seems  unlike  the  English  gentry  among  whom  he 
stands.  His  face  seems  strangely  familiar,  and  his  grace 
ful  bearing  is  very  like  that  of  Carter  Lee. 

With  exact  and  minute  formality,  England's  Viceroy 
greeted  each  of  the  princes  of  India  who  were  assembled 
to  hear  the  news  from  the  Viceroy  himself,  giving  to  each 
one  the  exact  measure  of  recognition  due  to  his  rank — for 
caste  rules  in  India,  from  the  prosperous  Parsee  to  the 
despised  Pariah — and,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  splendid 
ceremonial,  they,  one  and  all,  tendered  their  allegiance 
to  the  Empress  of  India. 

The  plain  in  which  the  gorgeous  durbar  was  held  was 
dotted  with  tents  ornamented  with  Oriental  display,  and 
with  each  princeling  came  a  band  of  superbly  mounted 


THE    MODERN    I'AUIAH.  201 

retainers.  Camels,  elephants  and  horses,  as  well  as  their 
riders,  bore  evidences  o  the  wealth  and  power  of  their 
masters,  and  pomp  and  power  seemed  never  so  resplen 
dent. 

"And  yet  it  all  means  vassalage — the  millions  to  the 
thousands,  the  natives  to  the  foreigner ;  and  these 
strangers,  the  subjects  of  the  British  Isles,  thousands  of 
miles  distant!"  exclaimed  the  young  man,  who  was, 
indeed,  Carter  Lee,  who  had  been  so  long  mourned  as 
dead. 

It  was  amid  such  scenes  that  Carter  Lee  had  lived  for 
more  than  a  year,  and  all  of  his  friends  believed  him  to 
be  dead  except  Mary  Windom.  She,  with  that  instinct 
which  seems  to  be  woman's  prerogative,  doubted  the  truth 
of  the  report  that  he  had  been  drowned.  Indeed  she  had 
repeatedly  expressed  to  Amanda  the  hope  that  she 
would  meet  Lee  again. 

To  no  one  else  did  she  confide  this  hope,  and  she  per 
sisted  in  wearing  mourning  as  if  she  were  a  widow,  and 
devoted  her  life  to  works  of  charity.  Nor  did  she  permit 
herself  to  doubt  Lee's  constancy  in  his  affection  for  her 
for  one  moment. 

The  public  construed  her  retirement  from  social  life  to 
mean  grief  for  the  misfortune  that  had  befallen  her 
brother,  and  she  was  content  to  leave  that  impression 
upon  their  minds.  No  sister  of  charity  lived  a  more  un 
selfish  life,  and  she  was  rewarded  with  the  love  and 
respect  of  all  who  knew  her. 

Could  Carter  Lee  have  had  the  fashioning  of  her  charac 
ter,  he  would  not  have  changed  it  one  iota,  except  to  bring 
back  her  old  gayety  of  manner,  and  restore  to  her  cheeks 
the  rich  color  that  was  wont  to  beautify  her  lovely  com 
plexion. 

At  Amanda's  urgent  request  she  had  ceased  to  write  to 
her,  for  Amanda  desired  nothing  so  much  as  complete 
obscurity,  so  that  her  former  friends  in  fashionable  life 
might  never  seek  her,  should  occasion  cause  them  to  visit 
Washington. 

Afar  in  her  home  in  America,  the  saddened  girl  thought 
of  him  that  very  day  as  among  the  living,  and  the  only 
day  dreams  that  brightened  her  existence  was  the  hope 
that  she  would  meet  him  again.  And  never  once  did  she. 


202  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

doubt  the  constancy  of  his  affection  for  her.  But  to  the 
eyes  of  a  stranger,  Lee's  thoughts  were  concentrated 
upon  the  moving  pageant  before  him,  and  if  misery  had 
ever  been  his  portion,  he  seemed  to  have  gotten  bravely 
over  it.  But  superficial  eyes  cannot  judge  such  a  char 
acter  as  Carter  Lee's. 

The  circular  letter  of  credit  with  which  he  had  provided 
himself  had  given  him  ample  means  to  travel  any  where 
in  the  civilized  world,  so  long  as  his  deposit  in  the  Lon 
don  bank  was  not  overdrawn.  Furnished  with  this  con 
venient  means  of  travel,  Lee  had  sailed  from  England  for 
India;  and  he  was  ignorant  that  he  had  a  namesake  in 
Virginia  who  had  sailed  from  San  Francisco  for  Yoko 
hama  a.bout  the  same  time.  He  was  also  ignorant  that 
that  unfortunate  individual  had  been  drowned,  with  all 
on  board,  when  the  ill-fated  vessel  went  down  in  the 
waters  of  the  Pacific. 

His  friends  were  likewise  ignorant  of  these  facts,  and  of 
the  existence  of  another  Carter  Lee.  Thus  it  happened 
that  he  was-mourned  as  dead  by  those  friends  whom  he 
supposed  had  turned  their  backs  upon  him  forever— 
those  friends  against  whom  he  tried  in  vain  to  conjure 
some  malicious  feeling. 

Since  his  arrival  in  the  Orient,  months  had  glided  away 
like  weeks,  and,  if  he  had  not  explored  all  India,  he  had  at 
least  made  good  use  of  his  time.  At  first  he  had  brooded 
over  the  past,  and  he  had  written  to  his  banker  at  New 
York  for  information  concerning  his  friends.  From  him 
he  had  learned  that  Windom  had  not  died  but  was  in  an 
asylum  for  the  insane.  Where  this  asylum  Avas,  was  not 
stated.  Then  the  banker  ceased  to  answer  his  letters, 
and  from  the  newspapers  he  learned  that  this  banker  had 
suddenly  failed. 

This  was  true,  and  business  anxiety  had  caused  him 
to  neglect  to  reply  to  Lee's  letter.  The  latter,  however, 
interpreted  the  silence  of  his  financial  friend  to  mean  con 
sideration  for  his  feelings,  and  he  felt  convinced  that  his 
acquaintance  was  no  longer  desired  by  an}r  of  the  friends 
of  Charles  AVindom. 

He  believed  that  Mary  Windom  loved  him  as  he  loved 
her,  but  he  knew  that  poor  human  nature  can  scarcely 
withstand  the  appeals  that  he  imagined  had  been  made 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  203 

to  her  to  forget  him  entirely.  Thus  study  became  his 
second  love',  and  his  travels  were  extended,  and  thus  the 
young  man  recorded  his  thoughts : 

"Not  the  ruins  of  the  Parthenon,  nor  the  walls  of  the 
Acropolis  restored  by  Pericles — not  the  temples  of  Jupiter 
Sator  at  Home,  nor  the  walls  of  the  Roman  Coliseum,  can 
vie  with  these  ruins  in  Balbek.  .These  enormous  blocks, 
thirty  feet  long  by  eight  feet  in  height,  repose  upon  each 
other  without  cement,  and  bear  evidences  of  Indian 
sculpture.  Who  built  them  ?  In  the  Temple  of  the  Sun 
are  doors  and  windows  of  enormous  size  and  height, 
made  of  marble,  and  sculptured  with  beautiful  embroi 
dery.  These  arches  are  ornamented  with  exquisite  tracery 
chiseled  in  the  stone,  and  seeming  too  fragile  to  endure 
a  year.  They  have  withstood  the  tempests  of  thousands 
of  years !  Wonderful  climate  of  the  desert  that  has  pre 
served  so  many  and  such  perfect  works  of  art  in  one 
locality  in  the  middle  of  a  desert,  and  on  the  ruins  of  a 
city  whose  history  is  lost  amid  the  debris  of  time. 

'<  Surely  they  attest  the  refinement  of  the  most  artistic 
civilization.  The  artists  of  ancient  India  were  of  the 
great  Red  Race,  which  still  peoples  Asia,  and  which  has 
no  semblance  or  affinity  with  the  negro  race.  Are 
there  such  ruins  in  Africa  ?  Were  negroes  ever  artists  ? 
The  ruins  found  in  Mashonaland,  East  Africa,  do  not 
bear  hieroglyphics,  nor  do  they  indicate  any  ancient 
civilization  of  the  ancestors  of  the  black  race. 

"  The  most  peaceful  people,  perhaps,  under  the  sun  are 
those  among  whom  I  have  lived  and  traveled  for  a  year. 
Whether  seen  in  that  famous  street  called  Chandnichow, 
in  Delhi,  or  the  Moti  Bah  in  Poona ;  or  the  streets  of 
Jeypoor,  Agra  or  Poena,  or  other  cities,  the  people  seem 
placid  and  contented ;  yes,  as  peaceful  in  their  intercourse, 
as  free  from  modern  dress  and  customs  as  they  were 
three  thousand  years  ago,  when  these  ruins  formed  the 
city  of  Balbek!  But  even  my  varied  experience  has 
scarcely  prepared  me  for  this  oppressive  silence,  or  for 
the  delicious  air  of  the  desert  at  night.  In  the  cities  the 
stately  palms  sing  a,  requiem  in  the  wind  as  do  our 
Georgia  pines — the  only  native  thing  that  reminds  me  of 
home,  or  of  any  modern  country  or  people. 

"  Here  the  centuries  stand  guard,  and  one  life  seems  but 


204  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

a  span— a  hand's  breadth  in  the  world.  It  is  not 
strange  that  these  Hindoos  love  light,  and  flowers,  and 
jewels,  if  once  they  have  passed  a  day  in  their  cities, 
'neath  the  clear  skies,  and  surrounded  by  color  in  flowers, 
birds  and  raiment.  How  far  removed  they  are  from  the 
negro!  And  yet,  it  seemsto  me,  that  theseare  the  people 
whose  ancestors  were  tjie  Mound  Builders  in  America. 
A  thousand  relics  found  in  those  American  mounds 
attest  it. 

"It  is  certain  that  two  races  as  distinct  and  separate 
as  the  natives  of  Hindoostan  and  the  American  Indians, 
inhabited  the  continent  of  America  long  before  its  dis 
covery  by  Columbus,  and  that  the  Indian  (so  called)  is 
the  more  modern  of  the  two.  I  recall  now  this  expres 
sion  of  Professor  Von  Donhoff  when  we  were  at  the  Isles 
of  Shoals,  and  I  now  think  he  was  correct. 

"In  the  Mexican  and  Peruvian  Polytheism  are  to  be 
seen  the  characteristic  features  of  that  religious  faith 
which  lay  at  the  very  root  of  the  ancient  mythology  of 
Egypt  and  Hindoostan — the  idea  of  a  universal  soul 
from  which  all  life  emanates. 

"  The  Pharaohs,  like  the  Peruvian  Incas,  were  called 
'Children  of  the  Sun.'  The  Hindoos  offer  sacrifices  of 
flowers  to  Vishnu,  and  of  blood  to  Siva,  as  the  Aztecs 
did  to  Quetezalcoatl  and  Tezcatlipoca,  and  as  the  Egyp 
tians  did  to  Osiris  and  to  Typhon. 

"  As  surely  as  these  ruins  prove  the  civilization  of  the 
unknown  dwellers  in  this  city  of  the  desert,  thousands  of 
years  ago,  so  do  the  ruins  at  Cuzco  in  Yucatan,  and  in 
Peru  and  Mexico  attest  to  a  similar  religion  and  a  like 
civilization.  I  know,  now,  that  Professor  Von  Donhoff 
was  right  in  thinking  the  cross  on  the  pinnacle  of  the 
temple  of  the  sun  at  Cuzco  does  not  indicate  a  knowl 
edge  of  the  trinity,  but  does  indicate  its  Hindoo  origin. 
Superstition  Worships  the  figure  '  three '  in  the  doctrines 
of  the  mystics. 

"In  the  mythology  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  Saturn 
divided  the  earth  between  his  three  sons.  The  Greeks 
speculated  upon  such  ancient  myths  which  resulted  in  the 
<  divine  Triade'  of  Plato.  Noah  divided  the  earth 
among  his  three  sons ;  and  the  triune  head,  found  on  the 
two  pyramids  at  Pajenque,  Mexico ,  which  suggested  the 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  205 

thought  that  the  Aztecs  had  knowledge  of  the  trinity, 
symbolizes  the  same  thing  which  is  represented  on  the 
tomb  at  Babel  el  Malek,  near  Thebes,  viz.,  the  three 
great  races  of  the  human  family — red,  white  and  black. 

"  So  much  for  the  links  that  connect  the  Aztec  in  Am 
erica  with  the  Hindoos.  But  there  is  no  chain  or  tradi 
tion  to  show  that  the  negro  has  any  great  past  like  the 
Aztec :  he  is  truly  of  the  Dark  Continent.  He  has  my 
profoundest  sympathy  and  —  so  —  has  — Miss  Amanda! 

"But  the  people  who  executed  these  vast  monuments 
thousands  of  years  ago  need  no  pity :  f  T/e/Yworks stand, 
like  sentinels  of  history,  above  the  sands  of  time.  In  no 
land  can  be  found  the  like  of  the  rock  temples  of  India; 
and  nowhere  else  can  Saracenic  architecture  be  found 
that  will  equal  in  symmetry  and  splendor  of  ornamenta 
tion  the  mosques,  palaces,  and  tombs  of  the  Moham 
medan  emperors.  And  now,  as  I  stand  here,  on  the  eve 
of  my  return  to  America,  I  recall  the  sensations  which 
greeted  me  as  I  viewed  the  most  famous  mausoleum  on 
earth  — the  Taj  Mahal.  Why  was  the  whole  empire 
made  to  pay  tribute  in  order  to  make  it  a  monument  of 
unexampled  splendor?  It  required  twenty  thousand  men 
seventeen  years  to  build  it,  and  truly,  '  they  built  like 
Titans,  and  finished  like  jewelers.'  For  the  dome  and 
sides  of  the  tomb  are  inlaid  with  agate,  sapphire,  jasper 
and  other  precious  stones,  all  wrought  into  flowers, 
wreaths  and  vines  of  exquisite  loveliness. 

"But  it  was  not  this  lavish  display  of  wealth  and 
artistic  excellence  which  touched  me  most  —  which 
caused  me  to  remember  anew  all  that  1  had  lost.  It  was 
the  inscription  above  the  sarcophagi  underneath  the 
magnificent  dome : 

"  '  To  THE  MEMORY  OF  AN  UNDYING  LOVE.'  " 

Thus  ended  the  last  page  of  Carter  Lee's  diary. 

What  had  become  of  her,  the  one  woman  in  all  the 
world  to  whom  he  had  plighted  hits  undying  love?  Had 
she  been  married  to  DuBose ?  Jealousy  answered  "  yes  " 
to  the  question.  What  right  had  he  to  object  to  it,  or 
complain  of  it,  if  she  had?  Such  thoughts  tortured  the 
young  man  and  drove  away  all  artistic  or  philosophic 
reflections.  In  a  moment  he  forgot  the  impressions  made 


206  THE  MODERN  PARIAH. 

upon  him  by  his  visit  to  Mexico  and  Central  America 
the  year  before  he  had  met  Mary  Windom. 

And  as  quickly  fled  his  enthusiasm  concerning  the 
transcendent  genius  of  the  ancient  Asiatic  artists,  whose 
skill  had  commanded  his  admiration,  and  stimulated 
his  desire  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  daily  during 
the  year  of  his  travels  in  the  East;  and  his  diary  ceased 
with  that  visit  to  the  Taj  Mahal. 

In  his  love,  at  least,  Lee  was  himself  again ;  and  all 
study  or  ambition  were  of  secondary  importance  to  this 
young  traveler,  whose  one  absorbing  thought  was  his 
"undying  love." 


XXIX. 

Amanda  became  more  circumspect  even  than  before, 
and,  as  she  heard  no  more  from  Rodney  Lee,  she  was  be 
ginning  to  hope  that  a  merciful  God  had  listened  to  her 
prayers,  when  she  was  annoyed  one  day  by  the  persistent 
attentions  of  a  young  gentleman  who  boarded  at  the  same 
place  that  she  did.  He  had  been  introduced  to  her  as  an 
attache  of  the  British  Embassy.  It  is  very  difficult  for 
a  pretty  young  woman  to  avoid  such  attentions  in 
Washington  City,  but  she  had  escaped  them  thus  far, 
and  the  manner  of  his  rebuff  on  this  occasion,  she 
thought,  would  save  her  from  further  annoyance. 
Several  months  passed,  and  she  had  almost  forgotten  the 
incident,  when  he  appeared  one  day  at  the  door  of  the 
office  where  she  worked  and  pointed  her  out  to  his  com 
panion,  a  handsome  man,  who  seemed  to  be  an  English 
man  of  the  better  class.  She  avoided  his  glance,  and  tried 
to  persuade  herself  that  he  was  staring  at  some  one  else. 

The  stranger  was  Charles  Windom.  Nearly  a  year  had 
passed  before  Charles  Windom  was  fully  restored  to  his 
mental  and  physical  health.  Meanwhile  he  was  con 
scious  of  his  mental  disease  which,  he  had  been  informed, 
was  due  to  the  wound  received  in  the  duel.  Singular 
to  say,  his  engagement  to  Amanda  seemed  utterly  for 
gotten.  Finally  his  condition  justified  the  operation  of 
trepanning  his  skull,  which  operation  having  been  suc 
cessfully  performed,  the  whole  sad  history  was  suddenly 


THE  MODERN  FAfclAH.  207 

revealed  to  him,  first  as  a  "nightmare,"  then  as  the  sad 
dest  of  realities.  Then  his  natural  manliness  reasserted 
itself,  and  he  informed  Dr.  DuBose  of  his  intention  of 
marrying  Amanda  and  bringing  his  wife  to  Europe,  and 
there  making  his  home,  where  neither  prejudice  nor  gos 
sip  could  assail  them. 

"  Whatever  the  result  may  be,  DuBose,  she  is  innocent, 
and  I  shall  care  for  and  protect  my  wife  in  the  manner 
most  conducive  to  her  happiness."  Thus  he  spoke  to  his 
friend,  and  DuBose  entered  cordially  into  the  scheme. 

Impelled  by  this  cheering  hope,  he  sought  the  physi 
cian  under  whose  care  Windom  had  been  so  long  a 
patient. 

•'I  think,"  said  the  physician,  "that  Mr.  Windom  is 
entirely  cured ;  indeed,  could  trepanning  have  been  ac 
complished  earlier,  he  might  have  left  us  a  sound  man 
in  every  respect  six  months  ago.  His  malady  was  un 
doubtedly  caused  by  the  wound  received  in  the  duel." 

Finally,  all  objections  being  withdrawn  by  his  physi 
cian,  Windom  prepared  to  return  to  America  and  seek  his 
affianced  wife.  He  had  no  desire  to  live  again  in  New 
Haven,  for  he  knew  that  the  New  Haven  public  attributed 
their  separation  to  his  mental  aberration.  He  longed  to 
become  reconciled  to  her,  but  he  knew  that  accident  or 
the  tongue  of  gossip  might  at  any  time  reveal  the  social 
barrier  which  could  never  be  removed  in  the  United 
States. 

"All  men  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  equal," 
he  soliloquized,  quoting  from  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  from  Great  Britain.  Then  with  a  smile  of 
disdain:  "What  a  farce— a  sham— is  this  thing  they  call 
'  freedom '  and  'equality! '  Why,  Thomas  Jefferson,  the 
author  of  that  so-called  'ark  of  our  covenant,'  was  a 
slaveholder,  as  was  George  Washington  the  '  Father  of 
the  Republic.'  And  she,  my  precious,  innocent  darling, 
the  purest,  sweetest  of  women,  thus  cursed  because  a 
remote  ancestor,  perhaps,  belonged  to  that  ill  fated  race 
whom  all  the  world  is  even  now  seeking  to  despoil  of  its 
rightful  territories  in  Africa.  Ah,  me!  But  I  must  cease 
this  train  of  thought  or  the  old  penalty  will  return.  Oh ! 
God— God  Almighty— protect  me  from  that,  and  point 
the  way  for  her  redemption  through  me ! " 


208  THE  MODERN  PARIAH. 

It  was  well  for  his  mental  equilibrium  that  the  duty  of 
packing  up  his  clothing  and  other  preparations  diverted 
his  mind  from  these  somber  forebodings,  or  he  would  not 
have  been  able  to  leave  the  sanitarium  the  next  day. 
He  knew  that  she  was  a  clerk  in  the  Treasury  Depart 
ment  at  ^Washington,  and,  in  spite  of  the  advice  of  Dr. 
DuBose  against  so  rash  an  undertaking,  he  determined 
to  abandon  his  tour  on  the  Continent,  and  to  see  her  at 
her  desk,  hoping  that  she  would  not  know  who  he  was. 
To  effect  this  he  disguised  himself  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  and,  traveling  incognito,  sailed  for  New  York. 

His  long  residence  in  England,  while  a  student  at 
Oxford  University,  had  made  the  English  pronunciation, 
particularly  the  "broad  A,"  as  natural  to  him  as  the 
flat  New  Haven  "  A."  It  was  easy,  therefore,  to  assume 
the  manner  and  bearing  of  an  Englishman,  and,  in  order 
the  better  to  accomplish  his  purpose,  he  had  secured 
from  a  mutual  friend  in  London  a  letter  introducing 
him  to  an  attache  of  the  British  Legation  at  Washing 
ton.  Perhaps  "the  end  excused  the  means;  "  but  at  any 
rate,  he  represented  himself  as  an  American,  born  of 
English  parentage,  by  name  Wilson ;  for,  under  this  name 
he  had  been  registered  in  the  sanitarium. 

By  the  young  diplomat,  he  was  shown  the  sights  of  the 
National  Capital,  and,  under  other  circumstances,  it 
would  have  been  refreshing  to  any  patriotic  American  to 
have  heard  thedisparagingremarks  of  thisyoung British 
diplomat  concerning  all  things  in  "The  States." 

But  Windom's  whole  mind  and  heart  were  concentrated 
upon  the  approaching  boon  of  a  glimpse  once  more  of  the 
one  being  whom  he  loved  more  than  all  else  in  the  world. 
He  agreed,  therefore,  with  his  new-found  friend  in  his 
hypercritical  criticism  of  the  Corcoran  Art  Gallery  which 
in  other  moods  he  would  have  properly  appreciated,  and 
of  the  daubs  in  the  Capitol  that  purport  to  be  works  of 
art.  Again  and  again,  he  informed  his  cicerone  that  he 
had  no  taste  for  art  (it  had  been  a  passion  with  him  in 
former  days)  and  desired  to  see  the  practical  workings 
of  the  financial  methods  of  the  government  of  "The 
States."  "  For  Amanda,"  he  thought,  "is  a  clerk  in  the 
Treasury  Department." 

And  there,  seated  at  her  desk,  he  saw  her.    She  seemed 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  209 

oblivious  to  all  save  her  work,  and  he  seemed  rooted  to 
the  spot,  while  she  was  absorbed  in  the  task  before  her. 
It  was  not  rare  for  strangers  to  stare  at  her,  for,  in  spite 
of  her  mourning  garb  and  the  lines  which  sorrow  had 
traced  on  her  face,  she  was  a  rarely  graceful  and  lovely 
woman. 

"  Don't  stare  at  her  so ;  it's  no  use;  I've  done  it  time 
and  again,"  said  the  young  diplomat.  "She  is  imper 
vious  to  flattery,  and  freezes  by  her  manner  any  attempt 
to  form  her  acquaintance." 

"  Do  you  know  her?  "  asked  Windom,  clutching  his  arm 
nervously. 

"Certainly;  that  is  to  say,  I  have  been  presented  to 
her,  but  while  I  know  her,  she  does  not  seem  to  know 
me." 

1 '  Take  the  chances  and  present  me  to  her." 

"That's  a  good  joke;  I'll  do  it,  but  I  warn  you  that 
we  will  retire  utterly  routed.  I  would  as  soon  present 
you  to  Queen  Victoria  without  her  permission." 

"Ah,  Miss,  pardon;  may  I  present  my  friend,  Mr.  Wil 
son,  of  Chester,  England?" 

Amanda  looked  up  with  indignant  impatience,  which 
justified  the  criticism  which  he  had  made  a  few  moments 
before;  then,  in  spite  of  the  mutton-chop  whiskers  and 
the  wig  which  he  wore,  she  recognized  Windom,  and, 
with  hands  uplifted  in  agony  and  one  appealing  glance, 
she  sank  to  the  floor  in  a  swoon.  The  young  diplomat 
was  amazed  at  the  developments  which  followed.  Win 
dom  knelt  down  by  the  side  of  the  unconscious  woman, 
and,  raising  her,  kissed  her  passionately,  with  the  most 
endearing  expressions.  Then,  realizing  that  she  should 
be  left  in  a  recumbent  position  and  needed  air,  he  placed 
her  tenderly  on  the  floor,  and  asked  the  young  gentlemen, 
who  were  crowding  around  them  now,  to  open  the  win 
dows  and  give  her  plenty  of  air.  Meanwhile  his  wig 
had  fallen  off,  and  he  had  cast  aside  the  false  "mutton- 
chops"  which  made  his  handsome  features  homely,  and 
said  to  his  companion :  "  I  will  explain  everything  to 
you  later;  please  leave  us;  she  is  a  very  dear  relative, 
whom  I  have  not  seen  for  a  long  time."  With  this  ex 
planation  the  young  gentlemen  present  withdrew,  but 
gossip  did  not  spare  either  of  them. 
M.  P.- u 


210  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

"After  all  her  prudishness,  this  '  Miss  A.  M.  Anda'  has 
a  lover,"  said  one  of  the  female  clerks. 

"  She  will  not  be  so  reserved  hereafter,"  said  another. 

"She  has  always  been  different  from  the  rest  of  us;  I 
wonder  who  she  is,  anyway,"  chimed  in  a  third. 

"  There  they  go,  now !  and  he  is  supporting  her  as  if  she 
was  a  sister." 

"  Or  a  wife,"  said  another. 

In  truth,  Amanda's  returning  consciousness  brought 
with  it  the  wholesome  decision  to  avoid  a  scene  if  possi 
ble,  and  to  walk  out  thus  with  Windom  seemed  the  most 
natural  and  most  sensible  course  to  take.  And  both  of 
them  were  astonished  at  the  ease  with  which  they  adapted 
themselves  to  the  situation  and  the  comfort  they  found 
in  being  thus  thrown  together  again.  Correspondence 
could  never  have  effected  it,  for,  had  Amanda  known  that 
Windom  was  in  Washington,  she  would  have  fled  from 
the  city  as  from  a  pestilence.  True,  she  had  neverceased 
to  love  him  more  than  life  itself,  for  she  thought  that 
nothing  but  mental  aberration  had  caused  him  to  desert 
her  at  the  most  critical  hour  of  her  life.  But  the  cause  of 
that  mental  aberration !  She  stopped  at  the  street  cor 
ner  as  this  thought  greeted  her  like  a  thunder-clap. 

"I  can  go  no  farther  with  you,  Air.  Windorn,"  she 
said. 

"Say  not  so!  Please  do  not  say  that,  Amanda,  my 
precious  darling!  Since  I  have  found  you  at  last,  no 
power  on  earth  must  separate  us  again." 

She  saw  that  he  would  be  true  to  her  now,  despite  the 
separation  it  might  entail  from  all  his  relatives  —  yea, 
despite  the  prejudice  of  all  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  in 
America,  rather  than  relinquish  her  whom  he  loved  so 
fondly.  She  did  not  heed  the  passing  crowd  which, 
in  its  heedless  rush  on  "business"  bent,  nearly  brushed 
them  both  from  the  pavement ;  but,  putting  her  hand  in 
his,  with  a  look  of  unutterable  love,  she  said  :  •'  Oh !  my 
beloved !  I  feel  that  heaven  itself  can  hardly  be  compared 
to  this  unexpected  bliss." 

He  hailed  a  passing  cab,  and,  placing  her  in  it,  took  a 
seat  beside  her.  His  eyes  answered  her  look  of  fondest 
affection,  and  once  again  he  held  her  form  to  his  and 
kissed  her  repeatedly. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  211 

"Peace,  blessed  peace,  at  last — at  last!"  She  mur 
mured  . 

But  "peace,  blessed  peace"  was  not  yet  to  be  her 
portion.  Gossip,  with  its  Medusa  fangs,  had  circulated 
many  unfounded  rumors  concerning  her  meeting  with  the 
handsome  Englishman.  The  landlady,  with  woman's 
charity  for  her  sex,  took  good  care  to  see  that  these 
rumors  reached  Amanda.  She  became  ill,  for  she  did  not 
know  how  to  repel  such  slanderous  insinuations,  which 
increased  from  day  to  day. 

She  could  not  be  moved,  and  her  illness  resulted  in 
brain  fever.  Long  and  patiently  did  Mrs.  Adams  nurse 
the  invalid,  and  never  a  day  passed  without  inquiries 
from  "Mr.  Wilson."  Weeks  passed,  during  which  deli 
rium  clouded  her  brain  most  of  the  time,  and  she  hovered, 
more  like  a  spirit  than  a  human  being,  between  life  and 
death. 

Grievous  as  was  the  ordeal  to  her,  it  was  the  brain- 
tonic  needed  by  him,  and  his  mind  became  clear  as  hers 
became  obscured. 

But  physical  strength,  even  of  the  strongest,  must  give 
way  at  last,  and  the  crafty  woman  whose  jealousy  of 
Amanda's  beauty  and  culture  had  caused  her  illness, 
assuming  the  deepest  contrition  for  her  sadmistake,  took 
Mrs.  Adams'  place  as  nurse  when  she  became  too  much 
exhausted  to  remain  longer  in  the  room.  It  was  then 
that  she  noted  carefully  Amanda's  ravings,  and, putting 
them  together,  word  byword  and  thread  by  thread,  what 
had  been  incoherent  became  a  clear  revelation  of  the  sad 
history  of  this  beautiful  daughter  of  an  octoroon  mother. 
And,  gradually,  the  truth  was  rumored  in  the  "Depart 
ments,"  and  many  quizzical  smiles  and  shrugs  accom 
panied  the  report  as  one  fair  clerk  said  to  another :  "  I 
told  you  so!" 

Wiudom  blessed  the  only  good  fortune  that  remained 
to  them,  viz.,  that  both  were  known  only  by  assumed 
names. 

In  vain  did  the  "  colored  Congressman"  from  a  South 
ern  State  do  all  in  his  power  to  have  Amanda  reinstated 
in  her  former  position.  He  did  not  know  her  personally, 
but  all  the  sympathy  which  one  unfortunate  can  feel  for 


212  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

another  was  illustrated  in  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
persecuted  "Miss  A.  M.  Anda." 

Could  the  newspapers  have  learned  her  real  name,  or 
Windom's,  they  would  have  as  eagerly  printed  the 
"facts"  as  given  by  this  woman,  and  thus  have  blighted 
two  lives  forever  under  the  plea  of  "  enterprise  " 

But  Windom  adopted  the  more  sensible  expedient  of 
requesting  Amanda,  who  was  still  ill  and  knew  nothing 
of  this  newspaper  publicity,  to  write  her  resignation,  and 
he  bore  it  in  person  to  the  chief.  That  functionary,  see 
ing  the  bearing  of  the  determined  man  before  him,  did 
not  hesitate  to  accept  it,  and  bowed  his  acquiescence  to 
the  terms;  for  Windom  quietly  informed  him  that  he 
would  hold  him  personally  responsible  if  another  word 
was  uttered  or  published  concerning  this  unfortunate 
affair. 


XXX. 

In  the  United  States  of  America,  the  so-called  <  <  Race 
Problem,"  concerns  only  the  Red,  White  and  Black  races, 
the  first  being  by  far  the  least  important ;  in  India  fifty 
races  of  the  human  family  characterized  by  the  greatest 
diversity  of  manner,  appearance,  language  and  religion 
confronted  Lee,  and  he  wondered  at  the  contrasts  which 
these  various  races  exhibited.  He  recalled  Bishop 
Hunter's  question:  "Have  any  two  races  ever  lived 
together  peaceably  under  similar  conditions?"  as  he 
reflected  upon  this  fact.  In  America  the  Red  race  has 
been  so  robbed  and  oppressed  by  the  merciless  rule  of  the 
white  man,  that  it  is  but  a  question  of  years  when,  like 
the  buffalo  of  the  Plains,  the  Red  men  will  become,  as  a 
race,  extinct. 

In  India,  on  the  contrary,  he  had  noticed  that  the  Red 
race  predominates;  and  he  reflected  that  the  Caucasian 
race  is  a  minority  race  among  the  children  of  men.  He 
heard  of  no  "colored  men"  in  India,  and  he  had  seen  no 
black  people  of  the  Congo  negro  type. 

True,  there  are  Jews  in  Malabar  who  a  re  perfectly  black. 
These  black  Jews  were  the  equal  of  all  other  Jews,  but 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  213 

were  of  an  inferior  caste,  not  because  of  their  color,  but 
because  of  their  religion. 

They  did  not  resemble  any  negroes  that  he  had  ever 
seen.  They  suffered  because  they  were  Jews,  as  do  the 
Russian  Jews. 

"In  America  it  is  a  matter  of  color;  in  India  of  caste," 
thought  Lee. 

But  the  life  of  a  student  and  traveler  was  nearing  its 
end  for  Carter  Lee,  and  his  philosophic  reflections  and 
archaeological  investigations  were  brought  to  a  sudden 
close  when  he  reached  Algiers.  There,  for  the  first  time 
in  many  months,  he  read  the  New  York  newspapers,  and 
in  them  he  found  an  item  which  startled  and  shocked 
him.  He  read  the  announcement  in  the  telegraphic  col 
umns,  under  the  caption:  "Woman's  Cruel  Prejudice." 
As  he  read  the  story  contained  in  the  special,  he  rec 
ognized  Miss  A.  M.  Anda  as  Amanda  Adams.  To  his 
mind  she  had  evidently  taken  this  name  as  the  only  one 
to  which,  in  her  morbid  sensitiveness,  she  felt  entitled, 
and  his  conscience  smote  him  anew  as  he  reflected  upon 
the  horrible  truth  which  had  been  communicated  to  him 
by  Bishop  Hunter.  He  read  it  twice. 

WOMAN'S  CRUEL  PREJUDICE. 

WASHINGTON, ,  1 889. 

Investigation  of  the  revolt  of  the  plate  printers  against  the 
appointment  of  Frances  Rivers  as  assistant  has  brought  to 
light  another  case  of  a  similar  nature  in  the  Treasury  Depart 
ment.  "  Miss  A.  M.  Anda  "  is  not  merely  pretty — she  is  looked 
ii]  ton  as  beautiful. 

But  there  flows  in  the  poor  woman's  blood,  a  fatal  trace,  a 
mere  shadow,  of  African  blood,  which  has  blighted  her  hopes, 
removed  her  from  places  of  luxury  and  refinement,  and  will 
probably  consign  her  to  menial  employment. 

Her  mother  was  a  handsome  woman,  and  the  favorite  serv 
ant  of  a  wealthy  gentleman  of  Georgia.  The  war  deprived 
her  master  of  the  bulk  of  his  fortune,  but  after  gaining  her  free 
dom,  the  faithful  former  slave  and  favorite  refused  to  leave  his 
family. 

She  lived  only  a  few  years  to  enjoy  her  freedom.  Her  infant 
was  taken  care  of,  and  during  childhood  was  reared  as  carefully 
and  enjoyed  the  same  advantages  of  education  as  did  the  chil 
dren  of  her  master's  household.  Hhe  was  never  required  to  do 
menial  labor,  and  was  allowed  to  occupy  the  position  of  play 
mate,  companion  and  equal  of  the  other  children  in  all  their 
pastimes  and  studies.  Her  beauty  attracted  the  attention  of 


214  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

the  only  son  of  the  proud  Southerner,  who  became  so  enamored 
of  his  fair  playmate  tha.t  the  concealment  of  his  passion  was  no 
longer  possible.  The  father  remonstrated  with  his  son  in  vig 
orous  terms,  and  told  him  the  girl's  history  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life.  The  young  man  disappeared  and  was  seen  a  few 
weeks  later  in  Seattle,  having  joined  the  army  stationed  there. 
She  came  to  this  city,  passed  a  civil  service  examination,  and 
was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  numbering  division  of  the  Bureau 
of  Engraving  and  Printing. 

The  rest  of  Miss  A.  M.  Anda's  history  is  soon  told.  When  it 
became  known  that  she  had  African  blood  in  her  veins,  the 
women  of  the  division  made  such  vigorous  protests  that  she 
was  removed  to  the  less  desirable  position  of  plate-printer's 
assistant;  but  here  she  met  with  even  more  concerted  and 
effective  opposition,  and  is  again  to  be  removed  to  the  position 
of  messenger,  where  those  sufficiently  interested  in  her  history 
may  probably  find  her  seated  on  a  wooden  bench  waiting  her 
superior's  bidding,  patient  and  uncomplaining,  but  broken 
hearted  and  hopeless. 

As  he  finished  reading  this  brief  sketch  of  Amanda's 
life  since  that  great  misfortune,  the  knowledge  of  her 
unfortunate  birth,  had  shadowed  it,  he  could  not  refrain 
from  giving  utterance  to  his  thoughts : 

"  But  for  me,"  he  exclaimed,  "but  for  her  unfortunate 
acquaintance  with  me,  she  might  never  have  discovered 
the  secret  of  her  birth.  Whatever  her  misfortunes  may  be, 
no  blame  can  beattachedto  her — the  purest  and  gentlest 
of  women."  The  paper  dropped  from  his  hand  and  he 
sat  silent  communing  with  his  thoughts.  "I  pity  her 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart/'  he  said,  finally;  "  but  the 
same  cruelty  which  causes  the  gentlest  of  women  to 
avoid  those  of  her  sex  who  have  fallen,  will  debar  her  from 
being  received  in  the  social  circles  which  she  once  so 
graced." 

"  Here,  in  India,  I  have  learned  the  fate  of  the  Parinh, 
who,  like  the  Helot  of  old,  is  an  outcast.  The  modern 
Pariah  is  the  unfortunate  and  innocent  child,  born  of 
octoroon  parents,  in  free  America.  In  India  these  '  out- 
castes  '  know  their  fate  from  their  birth ;  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  they  are  taught  from  infancy  to  think 
that  'all  men  are  created  free  and  equal,'  and  the  effort 
to  abolish  caste  distinction  by  false  political  theories 
fomented  by  demagogues,  has  caused  this  modern  Pariah 
to  seek  vainly  to  overcome  Nature's  law.  For  it  is  as 
easy  for  the  leopard  to  change  its  spots  as  it  is  for  the 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  215 

child  of  an  octoroon  to  outlive  and  render  null  the 
social  prejudice  against  any  white  person  who  is  cursed 
with  negro  blood.  Sad  and  cruel  as  is  this  fate,  civiliza 
tion  demands  that  unrelenting  ostracism  shall  follow 
miscegenation." 

From  that  day  he  counted  the  days  and  hours  that 
must  elapse  before  he  could  arrive  in  Washington  to  offer 
her  all  the  reparation  that  it  was  in  his  power  to  make. 

Perchance  the  vessel  that  contained  Amanda,  now  Mrs. 
Charles  Windom,  en  route  for  Liverpool,  passed  the  ship 
which  bore  Carter  Lee  to  New  York. 

For,  early  after  her  recovery  from  the  dangerous  illness 
which  had  resulted  from  her  meeting  with  Windom,  she 
realized  that  there  was  no  middle  course  for  her  to 
pursue:  she  must  either  accede  to  his  ardent  request,  and 
that  of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Adams,  or  resume  her  life  as  a 
clerk  in  Washington.  Still  she  loved  him  too  well  to  link 
her  destiny  with  his,  blighted  as  it  was  by  her  unfortu 
nate  birth.  But  a  letter  from  Bishop  Hunter  to  Colonel 
Adams  changed  her  decision,  and  filled  her  heart  with 
gladness.  The  facts  contained  in  this  letter  were  more 
precious  to  her  than  the  inheritance  of  the  greatest  for 
tune  on  earth  would  have  been.  The  letter  was  as 
follows : 

BETHEL  CHURCH,  — — ,  1890. 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  just  preached  the  funeral  sermon  over  the 
remains  of  my  good  old  friend,  Elbert  Hoard.  Before  his  death 
he  related  to  me  a  most  remarkable  .statement  concerning  the 
young  woman  whom  you  and  I  knew  as  Amanda  and  who  was 
the  mother  of  your  adopted  daughter.  Truly,  God  hath  mys 
terious  ways  "His  wonders  to  perform;"  and  this  ante-mortem 
statement  of  Elbert  Hoard  is  the  most  remarkable  stpry  I 
ever  heard,  and  I  believe  every  word  of  it.  You  will  remember 
that  I  told  you  that  I  had  known  Elbert  forty  years,  but  I  do 
not  think  that  Linformed  you  that  I  had  not  seen  him  but 
once  since  the  close  of  the  war  which  emancipated  all  the  slaves 
in  the  South.  We  corresponded  occasionally,  and  kept  posted 
as  to  each  other's  mode  of  life  and  family  history,  but  both  of 
our  lives  were  so  occupied  with  work  in  our  chosen  fields  that 
we  did  not  have  time  to  seek  each  other.  On  the  few  occasions 

when  our  Conference  met  in  the  town  of  Y ,  or  when  my 

other  duties  called  me  briefly  to  that  locality,  Elbert,  who  was 
not  a  member  of  our  church,  but  a  primitive  Baptist  of  the 
"Hard-Shell"  variety,  was  absent.  The  one  occasion  which 
caused  us  to  meet  was  shortly  after  the  death  of  Amanda,  and 
he  wa.s  greatly  shocked  to  hear  of  it.  Indeed,  he  had  come  to 


216  THE    MODERN    PARIAH. 

his  old  homo,  which  was  near  my  old  master's  plantation,  chiefly 
to  have  an  interview  with  her,  for,  he  said,  lie  had  never  felt  en 
tirely  satisfied  in  his  mind  that  the  octoroon  woman  who  was 
in  charge  of  the  infant  (Amanda)  when  his  master  bought  her 
from  the  negro  trader  in  New  Orleans,  was  really  Amanda's 
mother,  as  the  said  negro  trader  had  represented  her  to  be.  He 
told  me  then  the  following  story,  which  I  will  give  in  his  lan 
guage,  except  that  I  will  try  to  tell  it  grammatically. 

"  When  master  took  me  to  Alabama  with  him  as  his 'body- 
servant' in  1845,"  he  said,  "he  decided  to  visit  New  Orleans 
and  stay  there  until  the  Mardi  Gras  festivities  were  over. 
Those  wei'e  wild  days;  and  the  young  gentlemen  of  thecountry 
lived  fast  and  drank  champagne  like  water.  Some  of  them 
gambled  recklessly,  and  sometimes  Mr.  Hoard  himself  took  a 
hand  at  a  game  of  poker.  The  steamboats  on  the  Mississippi 
River  were  the  finest  in  thecountry,  and  gambling  went  on  night 
and  day  all  through  our  trip  to  New  Orleans.  Two  days  before 
we  reached  New  Orleans,  a  man  got  on  board  who  was  accom 
panied  by  a  nearly  white  woman  who  carried  a  white  child  in 
her  arms.  The  man  wore  crape  on  his  hat,  and  we  learned  that 
his  wife  had  died  of  the  cholera,  and  had  been  buried  on  Li.s 
plantation  the  day  before.  I  thought  I  had  seen  this  gentle 
man  before,  but  his  face  bore  such  evidence  of  dissipation  and  he 
kept  his  hat  down  over  his  eyes  so,  as  he  passed  up  the  deck, 
that  I  could  not  be  sure  that  I  recognized  him.  But  I  had  rny 
suspicions,  and  I  tried  to  find  out  from  the  woman,  who  seemed 
to.  be  the  nurse,  though  she  afterwards  claimed  to  be  the 
mother,  of  the  child.  Before  I  could  get  a  chance  to  talk  to  her, 
I  saw  the  negro  trader — whose  'gang'  of  slaves  was  on  board, 
having  been  brought  from  Virginia  for  the  purpose  of  being 
sold  in  the  New  Orleans  market — in  a  long  and  confidential  con 
versation  with  her.  This  woman,  though  a  very  likely  young 
woman,  had  a  deceitful,  treacherous  look  in  her  eyes  that 
caused  me  to  distrust  her  from  the  first. 

"  That  day  the  gentleman  began  to  drink  hard,  and  soon  took 
a  hand  in  the  poker  game  that  was  being  played,  and  the 
luckiest  of  the  players  was  the  negro  trader.  Finally,  late  that 
night,  he  had  lost  all  his  money,  and  had  borrowed  a  thousand 
dollars  from  the  negro  trader,  who  seemed  to  be  an  acquain 
tance  of  his. 

"  Four  times  I  saw  my  master  try  to  persuade  the  stranger  to 
stop  playing,  and  finally  I  heard  him  protest  against  his  sign 
ing  the  note  which  the  negro  trader  presented  him.  He  became 
angry,  and  when  master  said  to  the  negro  trader,  'A  note 
signed  by  a  drunken  man  cannot  be  legally  collected,  and  1 
shall  do  my  best  to  prevent  you  from  robbing  Mr.  Lee,'  the 
stranger  jumped  up  and  said,  'Attend  to  your  own  business, 
sir !  My  name  is  Rodney ;  it  will  be  well  for  you  to  remember 
that  I  am  not  your  friend,  Mr.  Lee.'  In  those  days,  to  continue 
a  discussion  of  that  nature  meant  a  duel,  or  a  pistol  fight,  then 
and  there.  My  master  will  ever  command  my  love  and  respect 
for  what  he  did  then.  Turning  to  Mr.  Rodney  Lee — for  it  was 


THE    MODERN    PARIAH.  217 

the  disinherited  son  of  Mr.  Carter  Lee,  Senior's,  father — he  placed 
his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  said :  'Pardon  me,  Mr.  Rodney,  I 
thought  I  knew  you.  But  I  wish  to  be  your  friend,  and,  if  you 
need  one,  you  can  command  my  services  to-morrow.  This  is  not 
the  time  and  place  for  a  quarrel.'  I  had  seen  the  negro  trader 
receive  the  note,  which  Mr.  Rodney  Lee  had  signed  without 
reading  it,  draw  his  pistol  and  hold  it  under  the  table,  and  I 
rushed  to  master's  state-room  to  get  his  pistol  and  hand  it  to 
him.  When  I  returned,  Mr.  Rodney  Lee,  who  had  seemed  to 
become  sober  instantly  when  master  thus  proposed  to  act  as  his 
second  if  a  duel  should  become  necessary,  was  denouncing  the 
negro  trader  as  a  thief  and  scoundrel,  and  demanding  the  re 
turn  of  his  note.  As  I  handed  master  his  pistol,  he  refused  to 
receive  it,  saying  that  he  was  acting  as  Mr.  Rodney's  friend,not 
as  the  enemy  of  his  antagonist.  This  seemed  to  pacify  the  two 
men,  and  my  master  requested  the  negro  trader  to  step  aside 
with  him.  I  followed  them,  and  heard  him  appeal  to  him  not 
to  let  the  matter  go  further ;  that  Mr.  Rodney  was  evidently 
not  responsible  for  his  words  or  actions. 

"  'I  had  the  drop  on  him  and  could  have  killed  him,'  replied 
the  man. 

" '  I  know  you  did — I  knew  it  all  the  time — and  you  would  have 
probably  been  acquitted  in  case  of  a  trial  for  murder.  But  wait 
until  he  is  sober,  then  demand  your  rights.' 

" '  You  are  a  stranger  to  me,  sir,  and  you  seem  to  be  a  fair 
man.  You  don't  know  Mr.  Rodney ;  I  do ;  and  he  will  not  chal 
lenge  me,  or  accept  a  challenge  from  me,  because  he  claims  that 
I  am  not  a  gentleman  by  reason  of  my  calling.  He  has  won 
money  from  me  before  this,  and  I  have  had  trouble  with  him 
before.  If  he  attacks  me  to-morrow  I  will  defend  myself,  and  I 
will  show  him  no  mercy.  He  may  have  been  a  gentleman  once, 
but  he  is  now  going  to  the  dogs  as  fast  as  a  man  can.  I  shall 
not  return  his  note  until  it  is  paid.  Good  night,  sir.' 

"  By  the  time  we  reached  Mr.  Rodney  Lee,  he  was  suffering 
great  pain  and  seemed  in  such  physical  torture  that  all  recol 
lection  of  his  difficulty  was,  for  the  moment,  obliterated.  In 
two  hours  it  was  learned  that  he  had  contracted  the  disease 
from  which  his  wife  died,  for  he  had  nursed  her  faithfully  dur 
ing  her  illness.  The  captain  of  the  steamer  declared  that  he 
would  not  risk  the  lives  of  his  passengers  and  crew  by  having  a 
cholera  patient  on  board,  and  Mr.  Rodney  Lee  was  put  off  in 
the  darkness  at  the  next  landing.  My  master  determined  to  go 
with  him,  and  I  decidedto  accompany  him,  though  each  of  us 
knew  that  such  a  course  would'  almost  certainly  mean  that  we 
would  also  have  the  dreaded  disease.  In  a  few  hours  he  died, 
and,  so  great  was  his  suffering  and  so  rapidly  did  death  claim 
him,  that  all  that  we  could  learn  was  that  the  child  which  we 
had  left  on  the  boat  was  his,  and  that  he  had  a  little  son  in  New 
Orleans.  Now,  you  will  remember  what  a  stern,  but  kind,  old 
master  Mr.  Rodney  Lee's  father  was,  for  I  have  often  heard 
you  say  so  when  we  were  boys  together.  You  will  remember 
that  you  and  I  witnessed  the  last  meeting  between  the  father  and 


218  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

son,  though  -we  were  concealed  from  their  view.  He  upbraided 
him  with  having  squandered  a  fortune  and  dishonored  his 
name  by  bringing  with  him  from  France,  where  he  had  been  a 
medical  student  five  years,  a  young  French  girl  who  was  not 
his  social  equal.  You  will  remember  the  defiant  manner  of  the 
young  man  when  he  said :  '  Yes,  I  did  !  and  I  shall  continue 
to  live  as  I  have  lived.  I  shall  not  again  subject  myself  to  such 
reproof,  and  I  will  go  forth  to  the  world,  bearing  an  assumed 
name,  rather  than  change  my  profession  to  the  practice  of 
medicine  as  you  desire  ;  or  abandon  the  woman  who  has  sacri 
ficed  all  that  she  loved  most  in  order  to  follow  me.'  You  know 
that  he  did  go  away  and  all  the  efforts  made  by  his  father  and 
brother,  your  old  master,  to  find  him  were  fruitless.  After  his 
death,  my  master  went  to  New  Orleans  and  found  the  woman 
and  child  in  possession  of  the  negro  trader  who  claimed  them 
as  his  property.  The  woman  declared  that  she  was  the  mother 
of  the  child,  and  that  her  mother  was  a  quadroon  slave  in  Vir 
ginia.  Yet  she  consented  to  part  from  it;  and,  rather  than 
have  a  law-suit,  which  would  thus  bring  the  names  of  the  Lee's 
and  the  alleged  facts  into  publicity,  he  bought  the  infant  and  we 
carried  it  to  your  old  master,  and  left  it  in  the  care  of  Mrs. 
Carter  Lee. 

"You will  remember  that  you  often  said  to  rne  that  you  could 
not  understand  why  such  a  marked  preference  and  favor  was 
always  accorded  to  Amanda,  who  was  reared  as  the  companion 
and  playmateof  Mr.  Lee's  children,  rather  than  as  a  servant.  We 
both  attributed  it  to  sympathy  for  the  helpless  orphan.  Recently 
1  was  summoned  by  telegraph  to  go  to  New  Orleans  to  see  that 
negro  trader,  who  had  lived  to  a  very  old  age.  It  was  his 
'  dying  request,'  he  wrote  in  a  letter  that  I  had  received  the 
week  before,  that  I  should  hear  a  confession  which  he  had  to 
make,  and  that  he  would  die  miserable  unless  he  could  confide 
the  secret  to  some  one  by  whom  the  facts  to  be  stated  could  be 
proved.  He  added  that,  as  my  master  was  dead,  he  could 
prove  this  by  me  alone.  I  left  immediately  and  reached  his  bed 
side  shortly  before  he  died.  He  then  informed  me  that  the  slave 
and  octoroon  woman,  whom  he  had  held  as  his  property  to 
redeem  Mr.  Rodney  Lee's  note,  was  not  the  mother  of  the  infant, 
whom  he  had  sold  to  my  master,  but  that  her  mother  was  a 
French  woman  with  not  one  drop  of  negro  blood  in  her  veins  ! 
He  had  known  her  personally,  and  knew  that  she  was  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Rodney.  She  had  been  a  maid  in  a  household  where  Mr. 
Rodney  Lee  boarded  when  a  student  in  Paris.  Mr.  Rodney,  he 
said,  practiced  what  is  known  as  animal  magnetism,  which  is 
different  from  the  practice  of  medicine  as  practiced  in  this  coun 
try,  and  this  young  woman  traveled  with  him  as  his  patient. 
It  was  not  generally  known  that  she  was  his  wife.  Mr.  Rodney 
prospered  in  his  profession,  and  had  bought  a  plantation  to 
'  settle  down '  in  life  shortly  before  the  illness  which  had  resulted 
fatally  to  his  wife  and  himself.  After  giving  me  this  history 
and  begging  me  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  find  that  child  and 
assure  her  that  she  was  not  of  negro  origin,  he  died,  and  I 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  219 

returned  home.  Now,  I  feel  that  I  have  not  long  to  live,  and 
have  not  the  strength  to  begin  a  search  which  seems  to  me 
hopeless.  You  and  I  feel  that,  in  the  sight  of  God,  a  black  skin 
is  as  good  as  a  white  one,;  and  we  know  that  the  principal  woes 
of  our  race  in  this  country  arise  from  a  mingling  of  the  two 
races.  And  we  cannot  disguise  from  our  own  minds  and  hearts 
the  knowledge  that  such  illicit  connections  result  in  social 
ostracism  to  the  children,  so  far  as  the  white  race  is  concerned. 
Use,  therefore,  your  energies  and  influence,  and  intelligence,  to 
discover  whether  that  unfortunate  child  is  still  living.  I  never 
could  believe  that  she  was  the  child  of  the  womaiii  who  claimed 
to  be  her  mother  and  yet  parted  from  her  without  a  tear.  If  she 
is  living,  impart  to  her  the  knowledge  that  she  has  not  one  drop 
of  negro  blood  in  her  veins,  but  is  as  white,  and  her  birth  as 
legitimate,  as  that  of  any  of  her  kindred." 

He  fell  back  in  bed  exhausted  as  he  finished  this  story,  and 
when  he  was  sufficiently  restored  to  admit  of  hearing  my  reply, 
I  related  to  him  the  history  of  your  adopted  daughter,and  in 
formed  him  that  I  would  immediately  acquaint  you  with  these 
facts,  and  that  through  you  the  happy  news  would  be  trans 
mitted  without  delay  to  Miss  Amanda. 

How  much  misery  would  have  been  saved  you  all,  and  espe 
cially  the  dear  young  lady  herself,  had  this  crime  not  been  com 
mitted  !  How  callous  and  brutal  must  have  been  the  traffic  in 
human  beings  if  such  a  crime  could  be  committed  !  And  the 
goodness  of  God  is  shown  when  He  caused  your  noble  wife  and 
yourself  to  adopt  this  homeless  and  nameless  waif  as  your 
own  child.  And  yet  her  history  is  a  living  proof  that  the  two 
races  should  be  kept  pure,  as,  in  the  divine  will  of  Providence, 
it  was  intended  that  they  should  be.  May  God's  blessings 
still  be  with  you  and  yoiirs,  including  the  dear  young  lady,  is- 
the  heartfelt  prayer  of, 

Your  humble  servant, 

BISHOP  HUNTER. 

To  take  this  letter  to  Mrs.  Adams,  read  it  to  her,  and 
clasp  her  in  his  arms  as  she  exclaimed:  "Thank  God! 
we  will  have  our  child  again ! "  was  the  work  of  but  a  few 
minutes;  and  they  lost  no  time  in  apprizing  Amanda  and 
Windom  of  its  contents.  Thus,  all  reasonable  objections 
having  been  removed,  a  quiet  marriage  was  speedily 
arranged,  and  they  sailed  for  Europe  the  following 
week, 


220  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 


XXXI. 

Carter  Lee  arrived  in  New  York  in  due  time,  and  imme 
diately  wrote  to  'Colonel  Adams  at  New  Haven  asking 
permission  to  call  to  see  him  at  his  residence.  For  this 
.high  spirited  and  proud  man  felt  humble  whenever  he 
thought  of  the  part  which  he  had  taken  in  the  troubles 
which  had  darkened  that  once  happy  home.  He  felt,  too, 
that  he  had  been  an  iconoclast,  inasmuch  as  he  had  de 
stroyed  the  one  idol  of  hislife,  his  love  for  Mary  Windom, 
when  he  yielded  to  the  counsels  of  a  false  ideal  of 
"honor  "  and  thereby  caused  misery  to  the  two  families 
whom  he  admired  and  esteemed  most. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  Colonel  Adams,  now 
a  gray-haired,  saddened  man,  replied  by  writing  a  most 
cordial  invitation  to  Carter  Lee  to  visit  him  at  his  home. 

"  One  touch  of  kindness  makes  all  the  world  kin,"  said 
Lee,  as  he  read  this  letter,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  two 
years,  he  felt  that  the  world  was  full  of  human  kindness 
to  unselfish  people. 

He  seemed  ten  years  older,  and  at  once  Mrs.  Adams  saw 
in  the  lineaments  of  Lee  the  history  of  a  noble  suffering 
like  unto  her  own.  That  evening  Colonel  Adams  drew 
forth  the  "Last  Will  and  Testament  of  Carter  Lee,  of  the 
County  of  Hanover,  State  of  Georgia,"  and  handed  it  to 
his  only  surviving  son.  "I  am  so  glad  to  know  this," 
said  Lee.  "It  is  right  and  proper,  and  I  honor  my 
father's  memory  more  than  ever.  To-morrow  1  will  be 
more  than  glad  to  confirm  this  bequest,  so  as  to  avoid 
any  appearance  of  litigation." 

"I  thought  as  much,"  said  Colonel  Adams  to  his  wife. 

"  I  knew  he  would  do  it ! "  she  exclaimed. 

Carter  Lee  looked  inquiringly  at  them  both,  and  Col-, 
onel  Adams  went  to  his  desk  and  took  therefrom  a  news 
paper,  and  showed  Lee  the  following  editorial  notice: 

THE  LEE  WILL  CASE. 

The  world  does  move.  After  a  prolonged  conteHt  before 
the,  Georgia  courts,  before  jury  and  bench  of  appeal,  the 
illegitimate  grandchild  of  Carter  Lee,  the  rich  white  planter, 
inherits  his  estate  in  this  county  valued  at  $100,000.  The 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  221 

supreme  court  on  yesterday  settled  the  matter  finally,  and  Miss 
Amanda  Adams  will  enjoy  the  fine  estate.  The  decision  of  the 
supreme  court  is  printed  elsewhere  in  brief  and  speaks  for  itself. 
Thus  it  shows  that  the  will  of  the  late  Carter  Lee,  as  probated, 
is  not  against  the  public  policy  of  the  State,  as  shown  by  the 
legislative  enactments  and  by  the  constitution. 

"  Who  had  the  authority  to  contest  this  will?  "  asked 
Carter  Lee. 

"  One  of  your  relatives,  who  claimed  that  you  had  died 
while  traveling  in  India ;  but  it  is  all  right  now." 

"  Yes,''  said  Lee;  "but  it  grieves  and  humiliates  meto 
think  I  have  any  kindred  who  would  act  so  contemptibly ; 
and  I  insist  on  placing  my  decision  to  a  bide  by  my  father's 
will  on  record.  Even  if  he  had  not  so  willed  his  property, 
it  will  be  but  small  compensation  for  the  unhappiness 
which,  I  fear,  I  have  caused  her  for  life." 

"Not  so,  my  friend;  Amanda  writes  from  Italy  that 
she  was  never  so  happy  in  her  life  as  she  is  now.  Her 
husband  is  devoted  to  her,  and  her  every  want  is  grati 
fied." 

"This  is  the  happiest  news  which  I  have  heard  for 
years,"  said  Lee. 

"I  do  not  doubt  it,"  replied  Colonel  Adams.  "Now 
will  you  have  the  kindness  to  read  this  document." 

Lee  read  with  conflicting  emotions  the  "QuitClaim 
Deed,"  in  favor  of  Carter  Lee,  Esq.,  "  of  all  the  property 
described  in  the  aforesaid  instrument,  situate  and  lying 
in  the  county  of  Hanover  and  State  of  Georgia."  This 
was.  duly  attested  and  signed  by  Amanda. 

"  But  I  cannot  accept  it !  "  said  Lee. 

"  You  will  make  Amanda  very  unhappy  if  you  do  not. 
She  has  an  ample  fortune  now,  and  will  inherit  all  that 
we  have.  If  you  value  her  happiness  you  will  not  give 
her  any  trouble  about  this,"  said  Colonel  Adams,  with  a 
smile  which  denoted  the  truth:  "It  is  better  to  give 
than  to  receive."  Lee  bowed  his  head  in  silence,  as  Col 
onel  Adams  added:  "Mr.  Lee,  you  have  not  asked  con 
cerning  the  mother  of  Charles  Windom " 

"Nor  of  his  sister,"  added  Mrs.  Adams,  her  face  indi 
cating  her  interest  in  all  that  concerned  him. 

"Thank  you;  thank  you!  It  is  what  I  wished  to 
know  above  all  things.  What  of  them  ?  " 


222  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

"Mary  was  ill  fora  long  time,  and  finally  her  physi 
cian  prescribed  a  change  of  scene.  Dr.  DuBose " 

"You  don't  mean  it!"  said  Lee,  interrupting  her; 
"  she  has  not  married  DuBose?  " 

"You  dear,  foolish  lover!"  said  Mrs.  Adams.  "Of 
course  not ;  and  she  will  never  marry  unless  one  Carter 
Lee  offers  himself  as  a  sacrifice." 

"My  dear,  good,  kind  friend!  you  surely  don't  mean 
that  I -" 

"Yes,  I  do;  but  you  will  have  to  expatriate  yourself 
again  to  win  her.  She  and  her  mother  are  with  Amanda 
in  Florence." 

"  Have  you  any  message  for  her  ?  "  said  Lee,  rising  and 
clasping  the  hands  of  both  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Adams. 

"  Why,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  am  going  to  Italy  as  soon  as  possible,  and  I  intend 
to  stay  there  until  Miss  Mary  will  permit  me  to  bring 
her  home  again,"  said  Carter  Lee,  his  face  radiant  with  a 
happiness  that  he  had  not  known  since  the  day  he  left 
Georgia,  a  conscience-stricken  fugitive. 

But  before  leaving  these  good  friends,  Carter  Lee  asked 
Colonel  Adams,  privately,  if  the  New  Haven  public  knew 
of  Amanda's  misfortune,  and  what  the  result  was. 

The  very  question  started  Colonel  Adams  to  walking 
up  and  downthe  room,  whilehis  countenance  showed  the 
intensity  of  his  indignation.  For  a  time  he  was  silent, 
as  if  seeking  to  conquer  his  feelings,  then  he  stopped  in 
front  of  Lee  and  said:  "Pardon  me,  Mr.  Lee;  I  would 
not  allow  myself  to  speak  of  this  subject  to  any  one  else. 
The  world  is  cruel,  merciless, iconoclastic.  Have  you  ever 
seen  the  sensitive  plant  shrink  away  at  the  touch?  So 
did  Amanda,  the  purest,  gentlest  innocent  that  ever  was 
crushed,  withoutofferinganyresistance.  It  \vasgradual, 
notimmediate;  for  'society,'  that  nameless  entity  which 
governs  social  life  with  relentless  rule,  has  the  velvet 
touch  of  a  cat  when  purring  to  prosperity,  and  the  same 
feline  habit  of  lengthening  the  torture  of  its  helpless 
victim.  Here  an  invitation  to  some  social  gathering, 
where,  a  month  before,  she  would  have  queened  it  as  the 
belle,  is  pointedly  omitted.  There,  the  very  friends  who 
were  most  demonstrative  in  their  affectionate  preference 
for  the  society  of  the  petted  darling  who  never  wronged 


THE   MODERN    PARIAH.  223 

a  human  being  by  thought  or  deed  in  her  life,  avert  their 
heads  as  they  meet  her !  And  during  it  all  not  one  word 
of  censure  escaped  Amanda.  She  seemed  to  feel  intuitive 
ly  that  the  cross  of  the  martyr  was  to  be  her  portion,  and 
she  accepted  it  with  Christ-like  resignation.  But  her 
health  failed  rapidly,  and  it  was  clearly  evident  that  her 
life  would  be  the  forfeit  unless  occupation  could  be  secured 
for  her.  I  succeeded  in  having  her  appointed  a  clerk  in 
one  of  the  departments  in  Washington  City — and — you 
know  the  rest. " 

Carter  Lee  bowed  in  assent. 

"I  tell  you,  sir,"  continued  Colonel  Adams,  "it  has 
changed  my  views  of  life  entirely.  You  remember  Pope's 
verses : 

Vice  is  a  monster  of  such  hideous  mien, 
That  to  be  hated  needs  but  to  be  seen ; 

But,  seen  too  oft,  familiar  with  her  face, 
We  first  endure,  then  pity,  then  embrace. 

"  The  converse  of  that  is  Amanda's  experience.  So  in 
nocent,  so  virtuous,  so  guileless  was  she  that  she  could 
not  conceive  how  people  could  be  wicked.  And  the 
moment  when  her  innocent  misfortune  was  revealed  to 
her  she  felt  inexpressibly  humiliated.  She,  who  had  been 
the  pet  of  society,  shunned  all  publicity  as  if  it  were  a 
leprous  taint.  It  is  the  old  story  of  '  man's  inhumanity 
to  man,'  woman's  heartlessness  to  woman."  Thecordial 
hand-clasp,  the  sympathetic  glance  from  Carter  Lee's 
eyes,  told  his  sympathy  with  this  grief  of  a  parent  which 
passeth  understanding. 

Then  Colonel  Adams  drew  forth  the  letter  of  Bishop 
Hunter,  and  handed  it  to  Lee  who  read  it  with  amaze 
ment  and  gratification.  "What  a  grand  old  trump  he  is !" 
Lee  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  indeed,  he  has  made  us  a  reunited  family  again, 
and  Amanda  is  as  happy  as  so  refined  a  nature  as  hers 
can  be  after  such  an  experience;  for  all  that  love  and 
wealth  can  do  to  make  her  happy  and  contented  are  now 
freely  lavished  upon  her." 

With  this  knowledge,  Lee  returned  to  New  York  with  a 
lighter  heart  than  he  had  thought  he  could  ever  have 
again.  Rapidly  he  arranged  his  business  affairs  so  that 
he  might  go  in  search  of  Mary  Windom,  and  round  his 


224  THE    MODEEN   PARIAH. 

life  with  that  union  which  had  been  his  hope  for  so  long 
a  time. 

It  was  midsummer,  and  New  York  City  was  almost 
deserted  by  the  society  people  whom  he  had  known. 
Even  his  friends  of  the  club  were  absent  at  sea-shore  or 
mountain  resorts,  and  the  papers  were  teeming  with 
descriptions  of  social  life  there. 

"Will  she  receive  me?"  he  asked  himself.  "She  is 
certainly  to  be  excused  if  she  does  not.  I  am  not  vain 
enough  to  think  that  women  are  usually  partial  to  me, 
but  if  Kitty  DeBrosses  was  not  greatly  interested  in  my 
attentions  to  her,  I  am  not  a  judge  of  women,  and  I  think 
I  am.  And  what  a  splendid  creature  she  was!  Yes,  I 
will  go  to  see  her,  and  take  the  chances  of  a  rebuff." 

His  toilet  finished,  he  glanced  at  the  columns  of  the 
paper  of  that  date,  and  his  attention  was  quickly  enlisted 
as  he  read  the  following  concerning  the  young  lady  whom 
he  had  summoned  courage  to  visit  again : 

Fair  Women  at  the  Resorts. 
The  List  Includes  Titled  Dames  and  Court  Favorites. 

But  the  Simple  Native  Girl  Easily  Holds  Her  Own. 
Many  of  the  Lovely  Daughters  of  the  South  Are  Here. 

He  knew  several  of  the  Southern  belles,  whose  names 
and  attractions  were  thus  chronicled,  but  his  attention 
was  particularly  drawn  to  the  following  graphic  descrip 
tion: 

HOTEL  KAATERSKILL,  August  10th. 

Dreamy  gray  eyes,  black-lashed,  that  can  sparkle  with  mirth, 
flash  fire,  or  grow  meltingly  sad ;  a  clear,  white  skin  with  the 
faintest  tinge  of  pink ;  black  hair  with  the  sheen  of  satin  ;  a 
Greek  nose  with  thin,  wide  quivering  nostrils  that  mark  the 
fine-fibered  and  high-strung  spirit;  lips  clearly  cut  making  a 
perfect  Cupid's  bow ;  a  full  figure,  with  wonderful  curves — such 
is  the  vision  of  splendid  womanhood  Mrs.  Tracy  Wilmer  pre 
sents.  She  has  come  to  spend  a  few  days  in  the  Catskills  to  be 
reminded  of  the  scenes  which  pleased  her  venerable  father  most, 
before  she  exchanged  her  belleship  to  become  the  wife  of  the 
handsome  young  Southerner  whose  phenomenal  success  in  the 
Stock  Exchange  had  already  made  him  one  of  the  most  noted 
figures  on  Wall  street.  As  Commodore  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  he  is  deservedly  popular;  and  people  hesitate  to  say  which 
is  the  more  to  be  congratulated,  this  handsome  young  capital 
ist  who  has  won  the  hand  of  the  fair  daughter  of  the  milliona.ire 
lawyer,  the  late  Mr.  DeBrosses,  or  this  beautiful  bride,  conceded 
to  be  one  of  the  belles  of  the  metropolis,  whose  destiny  has  evi 
dently  been  placed  in  safe  hands. 


THE    MODERN   PARIAH.  227 

at  the  statues  which  adorn  these  courts:  Americus 
Vespucius,  from  whom  America  took  its  name ;  Michael 
Angel o  Buonorotti,  the  great  architect  and  painter  of 
the  Old  Testament;  of  Boccacio,  Dante,  Petrarca,  Galileo, 
Benvenuto  Cellini.  Machiavelli,  Donatello,  and  others — 
>all  great  sons  of  Tuscany,  all  citizens  of  Florence.  Some 
other  day,  perhaps,  he  will  examine  them,  but  not  now. 
He  enters  the  vestibule,  the  sculpture  gallery.  What  to 
him  are  the  statues  of  Mars,  of  Silenus  with  Bacchus,  of 
Apollo,  of  the  Roman  Emperors,  Augustus,  Trajan  and 
Adrian  ?  She  is  not  there,  and  he  passes  on.  He  enters 
the  hall  of  Greek  and  Latin  inscriptions,  with  its  beauti 
ful  works  of  sculpture,  but  neither  Leda  nor  the  Nereide 
on  a  marine  horse,  nor  the  splendid  statue  of  the  Roman 
Empress  attracts  him  at  all :  she  is  not  there.  He  passes 
through  the  hall  of  antique  bronzes,  and  scarcely  gives 
this  most  wonderful  collection  a  notice.  He  enters 
the  hall  of  Niobe,  that  wondrous  group  which  pict 
ures,  as  no  other  does,  Grief  in  marble.  And  there  he 
saw  her. 

He  stood  quietly  and  watched  her  as  she  sat  at  one  of 
the  octagon  mosaic  tables,  upon  which  twenty-two  skilled 
artists  had  worked  for  thirty-five  years,  and  he  neither 
noted  that  they  were  the  richest  of  their  kind  in  the  world, 
nor  that  around  him  and  her  were  paintings  and  sculp 
tures  which  would  in  themselves  repay  one  for  the  voyage 
to  Europe.  What  to  him  was  this  table  which  had  cost 
over  two  millions  of  dollars?  What  to  him  were  all  the 
treasures  of  Art  in  comparison  to  the  suspense,  the  anx 
iety  which  tormented  him  as  to  the  manner  in  which  she 
would  greet  his  coming?  She  knew  only  that  he  was 
not  dead,  and  had  returned  to  America  the  same  vig 
orous,  handsome  young  man  whom  she  had  known  and 
loved. 

Was  all  love  for  him  dead  in  that  heart  which  he  had 
so  grievously  wounded  ?  Did  she  hate  him?  AVould  she 
pardon  him  ?  He  moved  among  the  group  of  sightseers 
that  he  might  see  her  face  without  being  seen.  He  was 
grieved  to  see  that  the  bright,  merry  face  he  had  known 
was  changed  to  a  settled  melancholy  which  seemed  in 
unison  with  Niobe  and  her  daughters.  For  Niobe  differs 
from  all  other  statues  of  antiquity  in  that  the  group  rep- 


228  THE   MODERN    PARIAH. 

resents  one  general  expression,  and  that  one  is  grief.  The 
ancient  sculptors  made  each  muse  separate,  isolated,  so 
aa  to  have  each  statue  represent  one  separate  attribute, 
and  left  to  painting  the  work  of  grouping  them  in  one 
tableau.  Was  she  thinking  of  this  unique  attribute  of 
Niobe?  Was  she  thinking  of  art  at  all?  He  moved^ 
again,  guide-book  in  hand,  as  if  examining  the  works  of 
art,  so  that  she  might  see  him  and  his  head  could  be 
turned  away  from  her.  He  stood  thus  motionless  for  a 
few  moments,  then  turned  and  faced  her.  She  had  risen 
to  her  feet  and  was  gazing  at  him  with  a  startled  look, 
and  when  she  saw  that  it  was  indeed  Carter  Lee,  she  sank 
back  in  her  chair  and  seemed  dazed.  Immediately  he  ad 
vanced  to  her  with  hands  extended  as  if  he,  too,  had  sud 
denly  discovered  her.  The  blood  mantled  her  cheeks,  as 
he  reached  her  chair  and  said,  very  gently : 

"  I  have  come  here  in  search  of  you,  Miss  Mary.  I  am 
so  glad  to  find  you  again." 

Ah,  love!  Ah,  life  in  love,  and  love  in  life,  how  beautiful 
it  is! 

She  said  not  a  word,  but  placed  her  hand  in  his  as  soon 
as  she  could  regain  her  self-possession,  and  looked  up  to 
his  eyes  with  one  timid  glance  of  gladness. 

"Let  me  put  your  shawl  around  you,  Miss  Mary;  lam 
afraid  the  draught  may  harm  you ;  the  temperature  of 
this  climate  is  very  changeable  at  this  season,"  said  Lee, 
for  the  curious  eyes  of  tourists  were  now  directed  to 
them. 

"  Thankyou.  thank  you !  Mr.  Lee,"  this  with  a  smile 
that  filled  his  heart  with  sunshine. 

"Now,  if  it  suits  you,  Miss  Mary,  we  will  return;  your 
mother  has  invited  me  to  dine  with  you  to-day,  and  I 
am  going  to  escort  you  to  your  home." 

It  was  the  day  of  the  fete  of  St.  John,  and  as  they 
passed  the  Baptistere  she  called  attention  to  the  history 
carved  on  its  bronze  doors,  and  said:  "There  is  not  a 
street  nor  square  in  this  city  that  is  not  alesson  in  history; 
scarce  a  house  that  is  not  unique  to  a  foreigner's  eyes ; 
and  the  statues  and  paintings  one  could  not  weary  of  in 
years."  Her  face  showed  enthusiasm  for  art,  for  art  had 
been  her  love  since  she  had  mourned  for  him  as  for  the 
dead. 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  229 

He  drew  her  on  until  they  stood  before  the  beautiful 
group  of  Donatello's  statues  called  "  Hope  and  Charity," 
and  he  said  to  her:  "These  two  are  emblematic  of  our 
future,"  and  his  hand  clasped  hers,  which  rested  on  his 
arm,  as  if  he  would  hold  it  forever. 

Another  day  they  wandered  to  theportaRomana,  and 
thence  ascended  the  hill  of  the  Bellosguardo,and  enjoyed 
the  lovely  panorama  of  Florence  and  its  environs, 
and  talked  of  "Etruscan  Shades"  and  "flowery paths  of 
Yalambrosa;"  for  here  were  the  "Etruscan  Shades, "and 
there,  in  the  distance,  was  the  famous  vale  of  Valam- 
brosa  which  inspired  the  muse  of  the  poets  of  antiquity. 

It  is  the  old,  old  tale,  old  as  humanity  is,  and  sweet  as 
is  the  perfume  of  the  loveliest  flower;  aye,  "it  is  always 
old,  yet  ever  new,"  this  love  which  sanctifies  that  blessed 
hour  in  youth  when  one  heart  pleads  and  another  yearns 
to  give  itself  unto  the  pleader. 

"  But  in  all  these  weary  months,  Mr.  Lee,  you  did  not 
once  write  to  me,  and  how  could  you  expect  me  to 
believe  that " 

"That  I  loved  you,  rny  darling,"  said  he,  interrupting 
this  tirnid,  gen  tie  girl,  whose  loving  and  trustful  glance 
looked  the  words  that  she  could  not  express  in  speech. 

Nor  were  words  needed,  for,  with  one  strong  arm 
around  her,  and  the  other  holding  her  hand,  which  she 
had  raised  in  modest  protest,  he  drew  her  trembling  form 
to  his,  and  sealed  his  love  with  that  first  kiss  which  no 
man  nor  woman  who  truly  loves  can  ever  forget.  The 
pure  passion  of  his  manly  heart  shone  in  his  eyes,  and 
was  reflected  in  hers,  as  they  looked  down  on  that  lovely 
face,  as  her  head  now  rested  against  his  breast,  and  all 
the  wistful  tenderness  of  her  angelic  nature  was  then  and 
there  revealed  to  him. 

"Did  you  ever  doubt  that  I  loved  you — you  only— 
betterthan  I  love  my  life,  my  precious  love  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  could  not  help  it  attimes,  and  it  made  me  very 
unhappy.  And  I  could  not  bear  to  hear  you  reproached 
and  criticised  unfavorably,"  she  replied. 

"Then  they  abused  me  roundly,  did  they?  I  cannot 
blame  them;  for  no  real  criminal  ever  suffered  more  from 
the  result  of  yielding  to  his  quick  temper  than  I  have 
daily  suffered  until  I  learned  that  youv  brother  was 


230  THE   MODERN   PARIAH. 

entirely  restored  to  health.  I  felt  as  if  1  had  slain  my 
brother.",^- 

"I  know  it  j— have  known  it  all  the  time.  I  knew  that 
you  were  incapable  of  an  ignoble  thought  or  deed,  and 
yet " 

"And  yet,  what?  "  said  he,  kissing  her  again. 

"  Yet  I  could  not  openly  defend  you,  without  implying 
a  censure  of  the  words  and  acts  of  my  poor  brother, 
whose  jealousy  was  aroused  by  your  attentions  to 
Amanda." 

"And  I  loved  you  all  the  time,  and  never,  for  one 
moment,  thought  of  Miss  Amanda  except  as  a  very  dear 
friend,  made  doubly  dear  by  her  sympathy  when  I  told 
her  that  my  happiness  depended  on  your  reciprocating 
my  attachment."  • 

"  Then  you  have  no  doubt  about  it  now  ?  " 

(This,  archly,  just  for  the  sake  of  having  him  repeat 
that  which  he  had  just  expressed.) 

"No,  I  have  never  doubted  it  since  I  saw  the  expres 
sion  in  your  eyes  when  I  found  you,  the  other  day,  in  the 
Art  Gallery.  Ah,  my  love,  those  gentle  expressive  eyes 
of  yours  are  more  eloquent  than  any  words  which  tongue 
ever  uttered." 

"  My  poor  eyes !  and  I  tried  my  very,  best  to  hide  from 
'you  the  joy  I  felt  at  seeing  you  again." 

He  did  not  answer,  but  drew  her  hands  up,  one  after 
the  other,  until  her  arms,  white  as  Parian  marble  and 
rounded  like  those  of  the  Venus  de  Medici,  encircled  his 
neck,  and,  caressing  lier  hair,  was  about  to  kiss  her 
again  when  voices  were  heard,  and  suddenly  these  two 
lovers  became  as  precise  and  proper  in  their  deportment 
as  if  they  stood  in  a  drawiug-room,  surrounded  by  the 
most  conventional  society.  Day  after  day  these  walks 
and  talks  were  repeated,  and  the  English  language  as 
spoken  by  them  seemed  to  have  caught  a  soft  intona 
tion  of  the  Italian  tongue  which  was  spoken  by  those 
whom  they  met.  For  love,  such  as  theirs  was,  softens 
all  things  and  modulates  the  voice  to  suit  the  occasion. 

Thus  time  passed  fleetly  with  them  reunited,  for  one 
was  love,  and  the  other  her  ardent  lover. 

And  the  old  trustful  confidence  returned  to  bless  the 
heart  of  Mary  Windom,  and  brighten  her  face  with  the 


THE   MODERN   PARIAH.  231 

winsom  loveliness  that  had  first  won  the  heart  of  Carter 
Lee.  And  there  in  the  lovely  classic  city  of  Florence,  the 
two  were  united  in  marriage,  and  there  we  will  leave 
them  in  the  midst  of  all  the  stores  of  the  past  with  their 
eyes  and  hearts  turned  to  the  future. 


THE  END. 


ETOWAM: 

A   Romance  of  the   Confederacy, 


By    FRANCIS    FONTAINE. 


CRITICISMS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

[From  the  Boston  Herald,  January  29,  1888.] 


Mr.  Francis  Fontaine  has  written  a  book  on  slave  life  in  the 
ante  beUum  days,  and  in  the  war  times,  from  a  Southern  stand 
point,  which  shows  the  opposite  side  of  the  sombre  picture 
drawn  by  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  His  purpose  is  to  give  a  cor 
rect  impression  of  life  in  the  South,  as  it  was  under  the  regime 
of  slavery,  and  illustrate  the  heroism  anfl  sacrifices  of  theSouth- 
erriers  during  the  late  Avar.  This  he  has  accomplished  without 
casting  any  slur  upon  the  conduct  of  the  Northerners.  One  of 
his  most  promising  characters  is  opposed  to  the  opinions 
entertained  by  the  Confederacy,  but  when  fate  throws  him  into 
their  hands,  and  he  meets  with  the  same  kindness  that  he  would 
experience  in  his  own  home,  he  becomes  more  interested  in  their 
cause.  No  matter  how  much  he  might  be  in  sympathy  with 
them,  he  was  too  loyal  to  his  own  side  to  yield  the  point.  The 
bright  and  dark  sides  of  the  war  are  so  vividly  represented 
that  many  of  the  scenes  of  battle-fields,  and  many  incidents  of 
the  struggle,  can.  be  fully  identified  by  thousands  of  people 
now  living. 

"Etowah"is  not  entirely  devoted  to  the  strife  between  the 
soldiers  of  the  Confederacy  ;  social  life  enters  largely  into  the 
romance.  Aside  from  the  merits  of  "Etowah."  as  a  narrative 
of  the  war  times,  it  is  a  story  that  contains  strong  portraiture 
of  characters,  as  well  as  an  accurate  description  of  the  social 
bonds  of  union  existing  between  families  of  unquestionable 
rank.  The  author  is  familiar  with  all  the  scenes  which  he 
depicts,  and,  consequently,  is  able  to  write  clearly  and  under- 
standingly.  It  is  an  entertaining  story,  in  which  argument  is 
nicely  blended  with  romance. 

(233) 


[From  the  Charleston  (S.  C.)  News  and  Courier,  February  5, 

1888.} 

ETOWAH:    A   ROMANCE   OF    THE   CONFEDERACY.    By    Francis 

Fontaine. 

Etowah  is  vividly  written,  and  gives  the  reader  realistic 
pictures  of  the  different  phases  of  life  in  the  South.  These  in 
clude,  of  course,  some  of  the  more  notable  scenes  during  the 
Confederate  war,  and  are  supplemented  by  accounts  of  the 
tyranny  of  the  Federal  officials  in  the  South  after  the  downfall 
of  the  Confederacy.  The  origin  of  the  Kuklux  Klan  is  sketched 
and  the  manner  of  its  operation  is  shown-. 

It  is  difficult,  within  reasonable  bounds,  to  give  more  than  a 
faint  idea  of  the  many  strong  points  of  Etowah,  both  as  a 
novel  and  what  may  be  termed,  a  missionary  work.  The  con 
ditions  are  so  totally  changed  that  Etowah  cannot  be  expected 
to  do  for  slavery  and  slaveholders  such  work  as  was  done  for 
Abolition  and  Abolitionists  by  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin;"  but  it 
shows  the  South  and  the  Southern  people  as  they  were  in  all 
their  strength  and  symmetry,  and  will  open  the  eyes  of  many 
who  would  not  care  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  truth 
unless  it  could  be  given  to  them  in  an  attractive  shape. 

[From  the  Boston  (Mass.)  Journal,  February  4,  1888.] 

"ETOWAH  :  A  ROMANCE  OF  THE  CONFEDERACY,"  might  be  called 
a  novel  of  vindication.  The  fierce  spirit  of  wartimes  is  alive  in  its 
pages.  The  rights  of  secession  are  again  argued,  the  question  of 
slavery  discussed  and  the  afflictions  of  war  in  a  conquered  coun 
try  represented.  A  slight  thread  of  romance  is  the  softening 
element,  and  the  author's  union  of  a  Northern  soldier  with  a 
Southern  girl  shows  that  his  warm  sympathy  with  the  South 
has  not  brought  hatred  towards  the  people  of  the  North.  Some 
interesting  pictures  of  Southern  life  before  and  during  the  wrar 
are  portrayed,  the  description  of  the  slave-mart  being  particu 
larly  interesting.  One  of  the  chief  purposes  of  the  book  is  that 
of  proving  the  attachment  between  master  and  slaves,  and 
none  of  the  dark  incidents  of  slave  life  are  brought  out.  The 
novel  is  earnest  and  intense.  Its  chief  faults  are  lack  of  pro 
portion  and  uncertainty  in  the  delineation  of  character,  but 
the  author's  earnestness  commands  respect  and  consideration, 
and  the  work  is  worth  the  attention  of  all  who  desire  to  study 
impartially  the  period  of  the  Rebellion. 

[From  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  January  28,  1888.] 

This  is  a  volume  of  522  pages.  The  author  makes  a  failure 
in  his  efforts  to  robe  his  old  institutions  with  anything  resem 
bling  beautiful  garments,  but  his  stories  and  sketches  of  the  war 
are  many  of  them  very  graphically  drawn,  and  are  abound- 
ingly  interesting.  Fortunately  the  bulk  of  the  volume  is  given 
up  to  these, 

(234) 


\_Froin  the  Baltimore  American,  January  IT,  1888.] 

This  is  a  most  charming  story,  and  the  characters  are  so 
gracefully  portrayed,  and  so  pleasing  is  the  type  of  work,  that 
those  who  commence  to  read  it  will  not  be  satisfied  until  they 
have  read  it  through.  It  is  a  work  of  the  highest  literary 
merit. 

[From  the  Brooklyn  (N.  Y.)  Daily  Eagle,  January  22,  1888] 

A  CLEVER  STORY  FROM  THE  SOUTH. — This  handsome  product 
of  the  Southern  press  is  more  than  a  mere  answer  to  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  "  The  Impending  Crisis,"  etc.,  however,  in  its 
picture  of  Southern  life  before  and  since  the  war.  As  an  answer 
merely,  it  might  not  have  been  so  successful  as  it  is  in  its  char 
acter  of  an  interesting  melange  of  all  that  went  to  make  up,  to 
an  educated  Southern  mind,  the  domestic,  social,  political,  lit 
erary,  philosophical,  material,  and  finally  the  all-engulfing 
military  experience  which  came  to  so  many  such  minds.  There 
is  too  much  thought  and  culture  visible  in  the  book  to  allow 
the  reader  to  wonder  at  the  spirit  which  also  pervades  it  of 
acceptance  of  the  results  of  the  war,  and  even  of  much  of  the 
anti-slavery  way  of  looking  at  the  system  which  was  the  cause 
of  the  war.  The  romantic,  and  even  the  poetic  element,  is  liber 
ally  present  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  care  littleforthe  moral 
and  political  principles  discussed  in  the  book. 

[From  the  Fort  Worth  (Texas)  Gazette,  February  5,  1888.] 

ETOWAH  :  A  ROMANCE  OF  THE  CONFEDERACY. — Advance  sheets 
of  this  work  were  sent  out  about  three  months  ago  to  many  of 
the  newspapers  of  the  country,  and  elicited  from  them  most 
favorable  criticisms.  These  opinions  are  sustained  by  thebook 
as  a  whole,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  author  has 
won  for  it  a  permanent  place  in  many  libraries.  Particularly 
must  this  be  true  in  the  South,  where  the  great  struggle  took 
place,  the  scars  of  which  are  scarce  obliterated,  and  in  homes 
where  yet  may  be  found  many  who  were  active  participants. 

Embracing  a  period  of  the  nation's  history  replete  with 
strange  vicissitudes,  many  of  the  vexed  questions  originating 
in  the  war  are  fairly  presented,  and  if  there  be  a  criticism  to 
make,  it  is  that  Mr.  Fontaine  has  within  too  small  a  compass 
crowded  so  great  a  variety  of  topics. 

The  slender  thread  of  love  runs  through  it  all,  and  the  union 
of  the  Blue  and  Gray  that  grew  out  of  the  Yankee  captain's 
sojourn  in  a  Southern  home  exemplifies  the  sure  way  that  the 
younger  generation  will  find  to  render  the  tie  between  the  two 
sections  forever  indissoluble. 

[From  the  Atlanta,  Constitution,  February  5,  188S.~\ 

"ETOWAH,"  BY  FRANCIS  FONTAINE. — This  romance  of  theCon- 
federacy,  by  a  distinguished  Georgian,  is  one  of  the  best  and 
brightest  Southern  novels  published  in  many  years.    Mr.  Fon- 
(235) 


taine  has  a  graphic  stylo,  and  ho  has  given  the  true  local  color 
ing  to  the  scenes  and  incidents  in  hi,s  book.  "Etowah"isa 
story  that  will  live. 

[From  the  Mobile  (Ala.)  Register,  February  12,  1888.1 

This  is  a  work  of  undoubted  merit,  replete  with  the  evidences 
of  a  refined  culture,  no  less  than  of  earnest  thought  and  patient 
research.  It  is  a  faithful  portraiture  of  life  in  the  South  before 
the  war  and  of  her  struggles  during  the  stormy  period  of  the 
Confederacy.  The  characteristic  features  of  Southern  society 
— its  eloquence,  refinement,  hospitality  and  conservatism,  are 
vividly  sketched,  and  the  merits  of  slavery  are  set  forth  in  a 
manner  that  will  recall  the  well-ca.red-for  Southern  slave's  con 
tentment  in  the  enjoyment  of  to-day's  plenty  with  no  thought 
of  to-morrow.  The  negro  character,  in  a,ll  its  simplicity  and  in 
all  its  contradiction,  has  never  been  more  perfectly  recorded 
than  by  Mr.  Fontaine's  pen ;  especially  is  this  trueof  old" Zeke" 
and  his  grandchild,  "  Hez,"  who  is  a  typical  little  darkey,  full 
of  fun,  mischief  and  deceit. 

The  scene  of  the  story  is  laid  in  Georgia  and  the  well-con 
structed  plot  holds  the  reader's  interest  throughout. 

[From  the  Criterion,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  March  31,  1888.] 

"ETOWAH,"  by  Mr  Francis  Fontaine.1,  of  Georgia,  is  an  admir 
able  historical  novel.  Admirable  in  all  that  a  historical 
romance  should  be — true  to  life,  accurate  in  statistics,  fair  to 
both  sides  of  a  stupendous  question,  loyal  to  the  author's  sec 
tion,  and  unwavering  in  his  fidelity  to  innate  convictions.  It  is 
a  book  on  the  South,  by  a  Southerner,  and  yet  it  is  absolutely 
free  from  narrowness  and  marked  by  a  broad  and  dispassion 
ate  judgment  of  the  case  that  stamps  the  able  and  conscien 
tious  historian.  Nowhere  else  can  be  found  so  vivid  a  resume 
of  the  soul-stirring  days  of  the  war  and  the  still  more  harrow 
ing  era  of  the  reconstruction.  "Etowah"  should  be  read  by 
every  youth  in  the  country,  North  and  South,  in  order  to  put 
the  recent  tremendous  confiict  before  him  in  the  true  light,  and 
to  inspire  him  with  reverence  and  admiration  for  the  brave 
honest  men  and  women  on  both  sides  of  the  contest. 

[From  the  Springfield  (Mass.)  Republican,  April  15,  1888.] 

FRANCIS  FONTAINE'S  "ETOWAH." — From  the  South  now 
appears  a  novel  remarkable  in  many  respects,  among  which  we 
note  especially  fair  dealing  with  its  subject,  liberality  of 
thought,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  set  right  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  both  North  and  South.  Its  author,  Francis  Fontaine,  of 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  was  himself  a  Confederate  soldier,  and  his  book 
breathes  that  spirit  of  brotherliuess  and  frank  acceptance  of 
the  outcome  of  the  war  which  characterizes  especially  the 
soldiers,  and  we  believe  mainly  the  people  of  the  South.  Mr. 
Fontaine's  novel,  "  Etowah  :  A  Romance  of  the  Confederacy," 
covers  the  greater  portion  of  the  war,  and  is  carried  on  through 
(236) 


the  Kuklux  horrors,  the  troublous  adjustment  of  affairs  at  the 
South,  to  the  present  time — especial  stress  being1  laid  on  the 
enormities  of  the  convict  system  of  Georgia.  The  author's 
chief  personages  are  of  the  chivalric  class  who  owe  allegiance 
first  to  family,  then  to  the  State,  then  to  their  country,  and  so, 
without  desire  of  or  faith  in  secession,  followed  the  call  of  their 
State  and  shared  its  fortunes.  Almost  at  the  very  first  page 
occurs  the  battle  of  Manassas,  and  a  young  Confederate,  mor 
tally  wounded,  conceives  a  friendship  for  a  Union  soldier,  and 
dying  commends  him  to  his  family,  who  adopt  him  into  their 
hearts,  and  with  whom  he  spends  his  time  while  on  parole.  He 
remains  a  prominent  character  through  the  story.  Among  the 
slaves  of  the  Latan£s  is  one  Hallback,  the  young  valet  of  the 
son  of  the  house,  who  accompanies  his  young  master  to  the 
war.  Around  him  cluster  the  chief  interests  of  the  book.  He 
is  a  man  strong  and  heroic  in  build,  full  of  daring,  passionate 
yet  patient,  proud  of  his  descent  from  an  African  chief,  prouder 
when,  he  becomes  a  free  man  and  fights  for  the  country  to  which 
he  owed  (in  strict  justice)  no  allegiance.  After  the  war  is  over, 
this  man  becomes,  naturally  enough,  the  special  target  for 
abuse  at  the  hands  both  of  the  Carpet-bagger  and  the  Kuklux ; 
and  a  rascally  white  man,  the  terror  of  the  State,  being  shot 
by  "  Judge  Lynch,"  Hallback  is  arrested,  tried  by  court-martial, 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  twenty  years'  hard  labor  in  the  pen 
itentiary  of  Georgia — that  is  twenty  years'  hard  labor  in  the 
mines,  as  one  of  the  convict  slave  gang,  under  the  whip  of  an 
overseer — a  fate  only  paralleled  by  life  in  a  Siberian  mine.  The 
innocent  man  goes  to  his  fate  and  serves  out  eighteen  of  the 
twenty  years  before  his  former  master  can  get  him  a  release. 
One  can  scarcely  guess  whether  this  Hallback  was  originally 
intended  for  the  hero  of  the  book,  or  whether  his  character  lias 
unconsciously  placed  him  there;  but  however  that  may  have 
been,  such  is  his  true  position. 

[From  the  Indianapolis  Sentinel,  June  17,  1888.] 

Of  the  book  itself  we  can  only  say  that,  while  it  has  grave 
faults,  it  has,  also,  striking  merits.  It  is  an  attempt  in  the 
guise  of  fiction,  to  present  the  conservative  Southern  view  of 
the  war,  and  of  the  causes  that  led  to  it,  and  to  correct  false 
ideas  of  the  condition  of  society  in  the  South  before,  during  and 
since  the  war,  which  are  claimed  to  have  been  disseminated  by 
such  works  as  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  "  The  Impending  Crisis," 
and  a  "  Fool's  Errand."  It  is  singularly  temperate  in  its  tone, 
thoroughly  patriotic  in  its  spirit,  and  aims  to  be  entirely  just 
in  its  treatment  of  men  and  events.  Negro  slavery  in  the  South, 
as  pictured  in  these  pages,  was  a  very  different  tiling  than  Mrs. 
Stowe  made  it  appear  in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  The  colored 
people  in  "Etowah"  are  all  well  fed,  kindly  cared  for,  and 
greatly  attached  to  their  masters. 

Even  the  auction  block  has  its  redeeming  features,  and  there 
is  none  of  that  savage  cruelty,  that  brutal  lust,  that  shocking 
bestiality,  which  Mrs.  Stowe  pictured  in  such  vivid  colors  in  her 
(237) 


great  book.  The  truth  probably  lies  between  the  two  extremes. 
Mrs.  Stowe  presented  the  most  hideous  aspects  of  the  peculiar 
institution;  Mr.  Fontaine  dwells  only  on  its  milder  and  gentler 
phases.  There  were  probably  ten  times  as  many  such  masters 
and  slaves  as  Fontaine  draws  as  there  were  of  the  types  of 
Legree  and  George  Harris. 

It  would  be  well  if  this  book  could  have  a  wide  reading  in  the 
North.  The  calm  philosophical  and  patriotic  spirit  in  which  it 
treats  these  vexed  questions  of  the  past  would  be  a  revelation 
to  thousands  of  Northerners  who  have  been  betrayed  by  dema- 
gogues  into  a  false  idea  of  the  existing  temper  and  attitude  of 
the  South.  If  the  North  knew  them  as  they  are,  there  would 
speedily  be  an  end  of  sectionalism  in  our  politics. 

[From  the  New  York  Herald,  April  14,  1880.'] 

For  its  own  sake  the  story  is  well  worth  reading.  We  have 
not  enough  war  stories  from  the  South,  although  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  readers  are  waiting  for  them.  "Etowah"  con 
tains  a  good  love  story,  many  thrilling  recollections  of  the  war, 
and,  better  still,  a  great  deal  about  home  life  at  the  South  in 
the  days  when  we  at  the  North  knew  very  little  about  that 
section  of  the  country.  As  the  old  days  and  customs  of  the 
country  are  gone  never  to  return,  books  like  "  Etowah  "  have 
a  special  and  lasting  value. 

[From  The  Washington  (D.  C.)  National  Republican,  March  2, 


ETOWAH:     A   ROMANCE  OF   THE  CONFEDERACY.      By  Francis 
Fontaine,  Atlanta,  Ga.    Published  by  the  author. 
Perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  is  the  best  and 
most  intensely  interesting  novel  that  has  been  published  by 
any  Southern    author  since  the  close  of   the  late  war.     Its 
literary  merit   is  of  the  highest  order.      The  characters  axe 
most  graphically  drawn,  and  the  interest  is  kept  up  to  the  very 
last  page. 


"ETOWAH"  ,    offered  for  sale  in  book  stores  for 

uhe  first  time,   t        ng  been  sold  by  subscription  here 
tofore. 


(238) 


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